The South Asian Times

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Vol.10 No. 38 Jan 27-Feb 2, 2018 80 Cents New York Edition Follow us on TheSouthAsianTimes.info

AT DAVOS
GOVT SHUTDOWN ENDS

Trump hails GOP win, PM pitches India

says Dems caved in as new pole in
Washington: President Donald
Trump has hailed the end of the
government shutdown as a "big
win" for Republicans and hit out
at Democrats, saying they "caved
in" following the 69‑hour crisis.
globalized world
The Democratic leadership on
Monday agreed to back the bill
after accepting promises from
Republicans for a debate later on
the future of the 800,000 undoc‑
umented immigrants who were
brought to the US as children,
known as "Dreamers".
Under Trump's predecessor
Barack Obama, these immigrants President Trump with Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell
had been protected from depor‑
tation under a policy known as "Big win for Republicans as ing of the federal government
the Deferred Action for Democrats cave on shutdown," following a three‑day shutdown.
Childhood Arrivals (DACA). Trump tweeted after the reopen‑ Continued on page 4

ASEAN leaders at R‑Day UN team going to Pak

Prime Minister Narendra Modi flanked by Swiss President
to showcase 'Act East' to monitor sanctions Alain Berset (right) and WEF Founder Klaus Schwab in Davos,
Switzerland on Jan 23. (Photo: IANS)
Washington: Pakistan will not allow the UN Security
policy: Sitharaman Council's sanctions monitoring committee any direct Davos: Pitching India as a pre‑ plenary session of the WEF ‑‑ the
New Delhi: The presence of leaders of 10 ASEAN access to Mumbai dictable, stable and transparent second Indian Prime Minister to
countries at the Republic Day parade will display attack mastermind investment destination amid glob‑ do so in 21 years ‑‑ Modi took the
the Narendra and Jamaat‑ud Dawa al uncertainty and flux, Prime opportunity to elaborate on the
Modi govern‑ chief Hafiz Saeed or Minister Narendra Modi on threat of terror that he said killed
ment's "Act East" his entities, a media Tuesday cautioned against the 25,000 people in 2016 across the
policy, Defence report said Tuesday. dangers of protectionism, rise in globe.
Minister Nirmala The monitoring tariff and non‑tariff barriers "This challenge to humanity and
Sitharaman said team of the UNSC impeding global commerce and security is badly affecting the
on Monday. 1267 Sanctions called for agile and flexible poli‑ development, peace and stability
At the National Committee is visiting cies to match changing times. of the entire world. I say with full
Cadet Corps' Islamabad this week Appearing for the first time in conviction that terrorism is bad in
(NCC) Republic for an assessment of the annual meeting of World all its forms and facets. It is bad
Day camp here, Islamabad's compli‑ Islamabad won't allow Economic Forum (WEF) in this irrespective of its territory of ori‑
she said it is the ance with the world
access to Hafiz Saeed: Report
alpine Swiss resort, he also enu‑ gin or target of operation. We all
Prime Minister's body's sanctions regime. The UN team's visit is taking merated the three biggest chal‑ must unite in fight against terror‑
Defense Minister
intention that the place amid increasing pressure on Pakistan from the lenges before the world ‑‑ climate ism. India stands firmly with all
Nirmala Sitharaman
"Look East" policy US and India with respect to the inadequate imple‑ change, terrorism and protection‑ such forces."
be converted to an "Act East" policy. "The Prime mentation of the sanctions on Saeed and entities ism being practised by some Referring to the fractures and
Minister's intention that the 'Look East' policy linked to him. Saeed was listed under UNSC countries. faultlines at the international level
should now be the 'Act East' policy is really taking Resolution 1267 in December 2008. Citing senior Addressing world leaders and that "are really frightening", the
shape. Leaders of all 10 Continued on page 4 officials at the foreign ministry, Continued on page 4 global corporate honchos at the Continued on page 4

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TheSouthAsianTimes.info TRISTATE COMMUNITY Jan 27-Feb 2, 2018 3

Panagariya optimistic on Modi budget, sees GDP growth back to 7.5%

Special to The South Asian Times
New York: Former NITI Aayog vice chair‑
man and noted economist Arvind
Panagariya has expressed optimism that
the Modi governmentʼs budget slated to be
introduced in Indian Parliament on Feb 1
will lay stress on new reform measures.
“The budget will give a clear emphasis on
reforms,” he told a meeting organized on
January 22 at the Indian Consulate here as
part of the New India lecture series.
After growing at around 7.5% annually in
the first three years under Modi, the Indian
economy shrunk to around 5% last year
mainly because of demonetization. The pos‑
itive effects of the major economic move
and the introduction of GST will take the
economy back to 7.5% in 2018‑19,
Panagariya said.
He was vice chairman (PM being chair‑
man) of the National Institution for
Transforming India, or NITI Aayog, which
replaced the Planning Commission on
January 1, 2015. The Rajasthan‑born pro‑
fessor who now teaches at Columbia
University, served in that position till
August 2017.
Former NITI Aayog vice chairman and
noted economist Arvind Panagariya
speaking at the consulate.
Recently, the World Bank forecast that
the Indian economy would soon return to
7.5% annual growth. Asked about the
impact of stunted growth in the farm sector
due to poor rainfall and other changes in
the weather pattern, Panagariya sounded
hopeful. “GDP growth is not terribly affect‑
ed by what happens in the agriculture sec‑
tor,” he noted, pointing out the nationʼs
greater dependence on services and other
sectors. Instead of farm loan waivers, the
states should go in for crop insurance plans
as that will help reduce government expen‑
diture, he suggested.
The 65‑year‑old professor with a doctor‑
ate from Princeton is a Padma Bhushan
awardee. He has written 15 books as well
as columns for Wall Street Journal and
Financial Times.
The economics think tank answered a
range of questions. According to him, as the
Indian economy grew 9% annually during
one phase, it benefited several sections of
the population but the fruits of the reforms
were a mixed bag, leaving some groups
untouched. For instance, in Kerala, the
results were most unequal while in Bihar, it
was most even, he pointed out.
The Modi government is resolute on pur‑
suing economic reforms and reducing cor‑
ruption; however, bureaucratic hurdles
remain. “We made too many mistakes for
too many years,” Panagariya said, adding
that the authorities should stop making
mistakes now.
The privatization of Air India, the nation‑
al carrier, is bound to happen this time
around. Though several previous attempts
had been made, the Modi cabinet in princi‑
ple accepted to offload its 49% stake.
Similarly, bankruptcy law that has been in
the making for 15 years will get through g
now.
Asked whether the government borrow‑
ing from abroad would help, Panagariya
said it would “crowd out” private invest‑
ment, reducing individual enterprise.
Noting that the Reserve Bank of India is
focusing on nonperforming assets, the pro‑
fessor said that the government is also
making sure loans would not be given with‑
out proper collateral. “He (Modi) is not
going to let go anybody.”
On other issues, he said that for a ship to
unload and reload it takes three days in
India while it doesnʼt take more than 8
hours in Singapore. Similarly for a new
course to be started, the university con‑
cerned has to take permission from the
UGC and it takes months. But at Columbia
in New York, it is done in days.
On a different note, in a paper titled
ʻIndia: Three and a Half Years of
Modinomics,ʼ the professor said that many
of the future reforms will have to be imple‑
mented at the level of the states and cities
and this would require continued coopera‑
tion between the Center and states, and
between states and cities.

US imposes import tariff on Factory line production of rotis at

washing machines, solar cells
Washington: Carrying out his
"America First" trade policy,
President Trump has imposed stiff
tariffs on import of solar cells and
domestic washing machines to
protect the American market badly
hit by products from countries like
China and South Korea. The US
Trade Representative (USTR) made
the recommendations to the
President based on consultations
with the inter agency Trade Policy
Committee (TPC) in response to
findings by the independent,
bipartisan US International Trade
Commission (ITC) that increased
imports of washers and solar cells
and modules are a substantial
cause of serious injury to domestic
manufacturers. A spokesman said
the administration would "always
defend American workers, farm‑
ers, ranchers and businessmen".
"These cases were filed by
American businesses and thor‑
oughly litigated at the
International Trade Commission
over a period of several months,"
said USTR Robert Lighthizer.
The tariff will be 30 per cent in
the first year, 25 per cent in the
second year, 20 per cent in the
third year, and 15 per cent in the
fourth year.
Additionally, the first 2.5
gigawatts of imported solar cells
will be exempt from the safeguard
tariff in each of those four years,
USTR said.
Shares of the US company
Whirlpool rose 2.5 % on the news,
and it immediately announced it
would employ 200 more people.
Shares of US solar panel manufac‑
turers also gained.
Environmentalists argue that
making solar panels more expen‑
sive risks holding back the devel‑
opment of renewable energy in
the country. China and South
Korea have reacted angrily to the
news.
South Korea said it would com‑
plain to WTO, calling the tariffs
"excessive" and "regrettable".
Samsung and LG compete in the
washing machine market with US
firms such as Whirlpool.
Meanwhile China, the world's
biggest solar panel manufacturer,
said the move would further dam‑
age the global trade environment.
Patel Brothers in NJ
By Suchitra Srinivas
Princeton, NJ: For many desis, our
meal is incomplete without hot rotis
made of wheat. But when both hus‑
band‑wife travel miles from home
to work, it becomes a distant dream
for South Asian families in the US to
eat fresh rotis with every meal.
Not anymore, asserts Patel
Brothers as they open fresh Roti
and Tepla (lightly spiced paratha
like flatbread) making unit in its
grocery outlet in East Windsor, NJ.
The elaborate facility has been
operating since last month.
Customers shopping for groceries
now stand in long queues to pick up
their fresh and healthy rotis, says
Vishnu Patel, Partner, Patel
Brothers.
“We have seen growing numbers
of Indian population settling in this
region who demand high quality
fresh food options. We have been
thinking about this for quite some
time now. Earlier we introduced
this concept in our stores in Texas
and Chicago, which proved to be a
huge success”, said Vishnu Patel.
Elaborate machines have been
installed on‑site for dough prepara‑
Roti making in full swing at Patel Brothersʼ
grocery store in East Windsor, NJ.
Vishnu Patel, Partner, Patel Brothers, says that given the demand, they
are doubling the production capacity within a month of
launch of sale of fresh rotis.
tion, kneading and roti making, all and teplas can do with a makeover,
in assembly line fashion. Worked on but nothing like fresh ones. For
by about three persons these families in the US with limited eat
machines can churn out 9,000 rotis out options for authentic Indian
per hour. “Since its launch the food, fresh rotis reasonably priced
machines have been running in 12‑ is kind of real treat, said a loyal cus‑
hour shifts on week days and 14 tomer at Patel Brothers.
hours during weekends. Still we are Patel Brothers is a trusted name
forced to send back many disap‑ in US retail grocery and has been
pointed as we are not able to pro‑ catering to the market for over 40
duce enough numbers to match the years consistently focusing on
demand. Within a month of its authentic Indian grocery and fresh
launch we have geared to double produce. Stated in 1974 as a small
the capacity. We are investing on a experimental store in Chicago by
second unit here,” said Vishnu two of the Patel brothers, it has
Patel. The demand for rotis is huge spread to about 60 locations across
and while frozen and packed rotis the US today.
 4 Jan 27-Feb 2, 2018
Mueller seeks to
question Trump on
Flynn, Comey firing
Washington: Special counsel Robert Muellerʼs
office interviewed Attorney General Jeff Sessions
last week in connection with the investigation
into Russian interference in the 2016 presiden‑
tial election and now wants to question the presi‑
dent.
The Sessions interview came on the heels of the
special counselʼs reported questioning of fired
FBI Director James Comey. In another major
development, The Washington Post on Tuesday
afternoon reported that Mueller is looking to
question President Trump on his decision to fire
Comey and Michael Flynn, his former national
security adviser. The logistics of that interview
remain unclear, as they will likely be negotiated
between the special counsel and the presidentʼs
legal team.
“Sessions may be in the single best position to
either corroborate or impeach the credibility of
folks that the special counsel might be looking at
much more carefully,” said Stephen Vladeck, a
University of Texas law professor. “The president,
Jared Kushner, Comey himself, who used to be
Sessionsʼs subordinate.”
Sessions is not the most important person in
this investigation, but he may be the one with the
most connections to it,” Vladeck added.
The White House said that Comeyʼs firing was
driven by a recommendation from the Justice
Department related to the FBIʼs handling of the
investigation into former Secretary of State
Hillary Clintonʼs use of a private email server. But
Trump subsequently told NBC Newsʼs Lester Holt
that he was going to fire Comey “regardless of
recommendation,” signaling that the Russia
investigation figured into his decision‑making.
The controversy surrounding Comeyʼs ouster
reached a peak last June, when the former FBI
director testified publicly before senators on
Capitol Hill that Trump had pressed him to stop
the investigation into Flynn. Flynn resigned in
February after it was revealed he lied to senior
administration officials about his conversations
with then‑Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak
during the transition. He cut a deal with Mueller
in December and is cooperating with the special
counsel after pleading guilty to lying to FBI
agents about his Russia contacts.
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TURN PAGE
PM pitches India as new pole
in globalized world
Continued from page 1
Prime Minister said "the biggest reasons
are control of territories ‑‑ both direct and
indirect ‑‑ and control of transactions,
including cross border trade and move‑
ment of people".
The Prime Minister then spoke of the
challenge of societies and countries that
are becoming more and more self‑cen‑
tered. "It seems that globalization is
shrinking contrary to its name. Forces of
protectionism are rearing their heads.
They not only want to keep away from
globalization but also want to reverse the
natural flow of globalization."
The result, he said, was that new types
of tariff and non‑tariff barriers have
appeared and bilateral and multi‑lateral
trade negotiations have stopped, cross
border investments have decreased in
most countries and global supply chains
have stopped.
"The solution to this distressing situa‑
tion against globalization is not in isola‑
tion. The solution is to understand the
changes and to make agile and flexible
policies to accept it with the changing
times."
Pitching India as an investment destina‑
tion, he said its democracy, stability and
certainty "are the bedrock of sustainable
development" and was a recipe for peace,
stability and development.
"Democracy is not just a political system
but a way of life and lifestyle in India
which has diverse religions, culture, lan‑
guages, dress and cuisine. Democracy in
India just not nurtures diversity but also
the hopes of more than 1.25 billion peo‑
ple." He said his government was function‑
ing not for a limited class or section but
for all.
"For development, our vision is inclu‑
sive, our mission is inclusive. This inclu‑
sive vision is the foundation of every plan,
every policy of my government whether it
is financial inclusion of bank accounts for
all the poor and use of technology for
direct benefit transfer to every needy."
He said in the recent past, Indians have
moved towards a less‑cash society and a
unified tax system in the form of GST.
"These two historic decisions happened
Associate Editor:
Hiral Dholakia-Dave
Contributing Editors: Surekha Vijh
(Washington DC), Suchitra Srinivas (New
Jersey), Shivaji Sengupta, Nilima Madan,
Melvin Durai, Dr Prem Kumar Sharma,
Ashok Vyas, Dr Akshat Jain,
and Ashok Ojha.
West Coast Correspondent
Pooja Jain,
Pooja@TheSouthAsianTimes.info
one after the other in less than a year's
time. We are now a financial system which
is fully prepared and integrated for digital
transactions. All this has fulfilled our
dream and your desire of India as one
nation, one tax. It has also started a fresh
journey towards a modern tax regime that
is transparent, stable and predictable."
Trump hails GOP win,
says Dems caved in
Continued from page 1
But Senate Democratic leader Chuck
Schumer said: "The great deal‑making
President sat on the sidelines."
In another tweet, Trump said: "Now I
want a big win for everyone, including
Republicans, Democrats and DACA, but
especially for our great military and bor‑
der security. Should be able to get there.
See you at the negotiating table." The
spending bill that ended the shutdown
passed the Senate by a majority of 81‑18
and the House of Representatives by 266‑
150, the media reported.
Democrats voiced skepticism about the
promises made by Republicans and some
liberal groups were infuriated by the
agreement to reopen the government.
Possible Democratic 2020 presidential
candidates in the Senate ‑‑ Elizabeth
Warren, Kirsten Gillibrand, Cory Booker,
Bernie Sanders and Kamala Harris ‑‑ all
voted against Monday's bill.
Senator Harris, the first Indian‑
American to serve in the US Senate, said:
"You don't need me to tell you that
Democrats just caved when it comes to
ending the government shutdown. Even
some of their leading senators are admit‑
ting it."
She tweeted that it would be "foolhardy"
to trust Senate Majority Leader Mitch
McConnell's promise to take up an immi‑
gration bill in the coming weeks.
Another California senator Dianne
Feinstein told The Hill, a political news
outlet, that she was "very disappointed" in
the deal because there's no guarantee that
Republicans would help the Dreamers.
Thousands of federal employees who
had been placed on temporary, unpaid
leave since Saturday prepared to return to
work.
The so‑called continuing resolution
New Delhi Bureau
Meenakshi Iyer
Delhi@TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Jaipur (India) Bureau
Prakash Bhandari
Prakash@TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Photographs: Gunjesh Desai/
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Art and Design: Dhiraj Kumar Showaan
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TheSouthAsianTimes.info
keeps the government funded until
February 8 in a hope that Congress can
reach a longer‑term budget agreement in
the meantime.
"I know there's great relief that this
episode is coming to an end," said Speaker
Paul Ryan. "But this is not a moment to
pat ourselves on the back. Not even close."
ASEAN leaders at R‑Day to
showcase 'Act East' policy:
Sitharaman
Continued from page 1
Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN) nations have confirmed partici‑
pation as guests of honor at India's
Republic Day parade on January 26 to
commemorate 25 years of New Delhi's
close ties with the bloc. The leaders from
Indonesia, Singapore, Philippines,
Malaysia, Brunei, Thailand, Cambodia,
Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam will start
arriving by Wednesday.
There will be a banquet hosted by
President Ram Nath Kovind for the lead‑
ers to be followed by a plenary and a gala
dinner hosted by Prime Minister Modi.
UN team going to Pak to
monitor sanctions
Continued from page 1
The Nation reported that the UNSC team's
visit was not designed to "press Pakistan".
The UNSC team, one official said, will
visit Pakistan to discuss "official informa‑
tion" on issues relating to the banned out‑
fits and implementation of the UN sanc‑
tions. "They will not seek access to the
JuD or Hafiz Saeed and if they do that, we
will not allow it. We have been in talks
and this visit was scheduled," the official
was quoted as saying by the paper.
The UNSC sanctions list includes the
names of JuD, Lashkar‑e‑Taiba, Al‑Qaeda,
Tehreek‑e‑Taliban Pakistan, Lashkar‑e‑
Jhangvi, Falah‑e‑Insaniyat Foundation
(FIF) and other organizations and individ‑
uals.
The UNSC monitoring committee over‑
sees the sanctions measures imposed by
the Security Council under the rules. The
member states are required to freeze
without delay the funds and other finan‑
cial assets or economic resources of desig‑
nated individuals and entities.
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TheSouthAsianTimes.info TRISTATE COMMUNITY Jan 27-Feb 2, 2018 5

India has answers for how

to live well with technology:
Ariana Huffington
Mumbai: Thrive Global founder Arianna
Huffington, who previously founded the
Huffington Post, picked India as the first
country to expand to after Thrive Global's
U.S. Launch. Thrive Global seeks solutions
on how to achieve work‑life balance and live
better with technology. "I truly believe that,
more than any other place on earth, India
has the answers to what I see as the biggest
question of our time," she writes.
In her open letter, Arianna began by ask‑
ing everyone to re‑examine and recalibrate
our relationship with technology.
“Constantly checking emails, losing our‑
selves down the rabbit holes of social
media, sleeping with our phones next to us
or tucked in bed with us, immediately tak‑
ing out our phones when thereʼs a moment
of pause in our day, answering texts or calls
while we are having dinner with friends or
family, being available and ʻonʼ 24/7 and
having our attention controlled by some‑
thing other than ourselves ̶ all these come
at a great cost. They are all signs that our
relationship with technology is undermin‑
ing our humanity. Itʼs not sustainable, itʼs
not healthy, and itʼs driving the pace of our
lives beyond our capacity to cope, and rob‑
bing us of the time we need to recharge and
reconnect with ourselves”, says Arianna.
Next, she discussed the impact of technol‑
ogy on Indian youth. “The number of people
being treated for mobile phone addiction
has spiked between 75 and 100% in the last
year alone, mostly among young people in
the age group of 13‑24. A recent study
showed that 65% of Indians between 22‑25
years old show signs of depression, while
25% of teens (13‑15 years old) suffer from
depression. “At the heart of this dramatic
In an open letter, Arianna Huffington,
the founder of The Huffington Post and
Thrive Global, praised Indiaʼs relationship
with technology prior to her town‑hall
session in Mumbai earlier this month.
increase in stress and mental health prob‑
lems is our relationship with technology,
which is feeding our obsession with being
always on – an obsession which has led to
exhaustion and fatigue becoming the top
health concern among adults in India.”, says
Arianna. Huffington then argues that the
solution to this problem was within Indiaʼs
age‑old traditions and wisdom. “India has
unique resources to meet all these chal‑
lenges. Its ancient wisdom and spiritual tra‑
ditions are now at the center of a global
conversation about what it means to live a
good life. And the truth and power of Indiaʼs
centuries‑old philosophy on life is increas‑
ingly and conclusively validated by modern
science. Scientific discoveries about the con‑
nection between well‑being and perform‑
ance are enough to convince even the most
skeptical, secular societies to embrace the
knowledge embedded in Indian culture for
centuries: the power of meditation, yoga,
contemplation and compassion to change
our lives and our world” .

Manisha Singh sworn in as

Assistant Secretary of State
Washington: Indian American
Manisha Sing h, a lawyer and
Congressional staffer, has been sworn
in as the Assistant Secretary of State
for economic and business af fairs in
the Trump administration. She is the
first woman appointed to the post.
Singh was sworn in by Secretary of
State Rex Tillerson last Friday. She will
be responsible for advancing
American prosperity, entrepreneur‑
ship and innovation worldwide.
"We are excited to promote
America's growth and secure our Indian American Manisha Singh was sworn in by
future under her leadership!" the State Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. She will be
Department's Economic & Business responsible for advancing American prosperity,
Af fairs Bureau tweeted after her entrepreneurship and innovation worldwide.
swearing‑in ceremony.
Born in India, Singh was the chief lawyer During that stint she handled intellectual
and policy adviser to Republican Senator property issues, relations with the World
Dan Sullivan. Trade Organization, and trade.
She had earlier done a stint as a Deputy Her political career began as a staffer on
Assistant Secretary of State in the economic the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
bureau in President George W. Bush's Before that she was a lawyer; she was in
administration. the international law practice of a law firm.
 6 Jan 27-Feb 2, 2018
New initiative to promote
Indian Americans in politics
Washington: With considerable suc‑
cess in recent elections, especially
last November, and realizing the
need to put Indian American in
positions of power in politics, policy
and government, a group of com‑
munity leaders, philanthropists, and
political activists have launched ini‑
tiatives to push for those objec‑
tives.
The group has formally launched
the Indian American Impact Project
and the Indian American Impact
Fund ̶ known together as
“Impact" ‑‑ on Jan. 17 with based in
Washington, DC. It is co‑founded
by Raj Goyle, CEO of Bodhala and
former member of the Kansas state
House, and Deepak Raj, chairman of
Pratham USA and founder of the
Raj Center on Indian Economic
Policies at Columbia. The group will
help the right candidates from the
community to run for office .
Goyle will chair the Impact
Project, a nonprofit focused on
leadership development and train‑
ing, while Raj will chair the Impact
Fund, a PAC that will endorse and
support viable candidates who
reflect the Indian American commu‑
nityʼs values. “Despite rapid growth
and professional success, for too
long Indian Americans have been
underrepresented in elected office
from state capitols to the U.S.
Congress,” said Goyle in a state‑
ment. “As a result, our needs, con‑
Celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor opens
1st restaurant in California
Los Angeles: Sanjeev Kapoor has
created a business empire from
cooking. He has a cooking show
that's the longest running pro‑
gram of its kind in Asia, a line of
appliances, a chain of restaurants,
lucrative brand endorsements,
publications, even a food channel
of his own.
Now he has opened his first US The first thing you encounter in Yellow the $20 mark, this was Indian cui‑
restaurant, named Yellow Chilli, in
Buena Park, in metropolitan Los
Angeles area. Since he is the
brand, the first thing you'll see on the marquee here is
the celebrity chefʼs sketch in black and white. The
building kind of resembles a Hindu temple except for
the Buddha statue at the top of the structure.
TRISTATE COMMUNITY
ʻImpactʼ projects are led by Raj Goyle (left), ex‑member of Kansas state
House, and Deepak Raj, chairman of Pratham USA
cerns, and priorities often go ly serving in state and local office as
unheard in the halls of power. At a state legislators, mayors, city coun‑
time when our community and our cil members, judges and other elect‑
values are under attack by xeno‑ ed positions.
phobic rhetoric and regressive poli‑ The Impact Project Board of
cies, it is more critical than ever Directors includes Priya
that Indian Americans build and Dayananda, managing director of
wield political power to fight back.” federal government affairs for
Raj elaborated, “This is our time.
Across the country, a record num‑
KPMG LLP; Vinai Thummalapally,
former U.S. ambassador to Belize
ber of Indian Americans are run‑
ning for office. We can't leave it to
and former executive director of
SelectUSA; and Mini Timmaraju,
chance that they will win on their executive director of external
own. We owe them our support ̶ affairs at Comcast and former
and we have a plan to help them national womenʼs vote director for
run, win and lead.” Hillary for America. The Impact
Currently, five Indian Americans Fund Board of Directors includes
are sitting in the US Congress, the Ravi Akhoury, former chairman and
highest number so far. Besides CEO of MacKay Shields LLC; and
Kamala Harris in the US Senate, Raghu Devaguptapu, partner at Left
they are Ami Bera, Ro Khanna, Hook Strategies and former politi‑
Pramila Jayapal and Raja cal director for the Democratic
Krishnamoorthi. Governors Association and
Impact is also tracking an addi‑ Democratic Legislative Campaign
tional 60 Indian Americans current‑ Committee.
“Even if you think you know
Indian cuisine because you've
eaten at all the lunch buffets
around town, that's kindergarten
compared to the kind of Ph.D.‑level
knowledge needed to navigate this
menu,” noted food writer Edwin
Goei in OC Weekly. And the à la
carte entrée prices hover around
Chili recently opened in Los Angeles sine for the fluent and affluent, he
metropolitan area is a black and white added. As for specialities, he tried
sketch of Sanjeev Kapoor.
is lalla mussa dal, a black lentil‑
based stew slow‑cooked on a low fire for 36 hours until
the legumes surrendered all their silkiness. And of
coruse chicketn tikka masala and naan.
Website: theyellowchillibp.com
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
IN BRIEF
Indian missions abroad
should issue Aadhaar card
to NRIs: Congress party
I
ndian embassies and consulates should issue Aadhaar cards to
NRIs, Goa Congress President Shantaram Naik said in a letter to
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Tuesday. Naik
said that the current procedure
that requires Indian citizens
living abroad to travel to India
to obtain Aadhaar cards was
cumbersome.
"Government should make
arrangements in all embassies,
consulates and other designated
places to issue Aadhaar cards to
Indian citizens residing abroad," Naik wrote.
"It is not practical to require the presence of Indian citizens to come
down to India only for the purposes of obtaining Aadhar cards," Naik
said. Goa has more than two lakh expats working primarily in Europe
and the Gulf region.
Green card holders should
become citizens soon to
vote in the 2018 mid‑terms
I
mmigrants should begin the naturalization process now to be able
to vote in 2018 mid‑term elections in November. It takes many
months after green card holders apply for citizenship. Community
activists claim that the 2018 elections are expected to be a turning
point in our democratic process and those who naturalize soon could
still have a chance to vote this year if they act quickly. Asian
Americans are the fastest‑growing racial group in the U.S. electorate
but within the 9.3 million eligible voters in 2016, some opted not to
naturalize and exercise their opportunity to vote while others stayed
home without understanding how critical their votes could be in a
tight election.
It is also being reported the time for processing naturalization
applications has been growing longer, and is now taking an average
of nine months. Asian Americans Advancing Justice and other organi‑
zations stand ready to help eligible AAPIs apply for citizenship now.
Exemption for Overseas
Indians from linking their
mobile numbers with Aadhaar
To address the difficulty being faced by PIO/OCI cardholders in oper‑
ating their mobile phone connections due to insistence of telecom
operators on linking their mobile numbers with Aadhaar Cards, the
following steps have been taken by the Government of India :
(a) The Ministry of External Affairs had taken up the issue
with the Department of Telecom [DoT] for exempting Overseas
Indians from linking their mobile numbers with Aadhaar cards.
(b) In response, DoT has issued a letter dated December 1,
2017 to all mobile phone service licenses to use alternative methods
to re‑verify existing customers belonging to certain categories,
including PIO/OCI cardholders. The procedure and format for this
has also been prescribed.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Rep Pramila Jayapal to boycott Trump's Pak ex-envoy to US Hussain Haqqani
1st State of the Union address
Washington: Indian‑American
Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal
has announced that she would
skip President Donald Trump's
State of the Union address in
protest against his policies and
rhetoric against immigrants.
Jayapal, 52, joins more than half
a dozen Democratic lawmakers,
including the legendary
Congressman John Lewis, who will
give a miss to the January 30
event. Other lawmakers who have
announced to boycott the event
include Frederica Wilson, Maxine
Waters, and Earl Blumenauer.
"I would not be attending the
State of the Union this year. I join
other distinguished members,
including Rep. John Lewis, in
refusing to dignify a president
who has used the platform of the
Oval Of fice to fan the flames of
racism, sexism and hatred ‑ most
recently with his vulgar condem‑
nation of Haiti and other African
countries," Jayapal said in a state‑
ment.
Jayapal said she disagrees with
Trump's approach which is "nar‑
row and self‑serving". "This presi‑
dent has consistently indicated
Canadian PM to visit
India next month
New Delhi: Canadaʼs Prime Minister
Justin Trudeau will visit India for a
week starting February 17. He will
visit five cities.
While Trudeau will be in India at
the invitation of Prime Minister
Modi, his visit will include a stop in
Ahmedabad, the latterʼs home state
and now increasingly featuring on
the itineraries of foreign dignitaries.
Trudeau will pay to visit to
Swaminarayan Akshardham in
Ahmedabad. There will also be a bit
of romance in the air for the charis‑
matic Canadian leader as he will
visit the Taj Mahal in Agra, and
there is a distinct possibility he will
be accompanied by his wife Sophie
Gregoire.
Also on the schedule for the visit,
which will conclude on February
23, are New Delhi, Mumbai and
Amritsar. He will visit the Golden
Temple and, as with the temple in
Gujarat, this reflects the importance
given to the large number of Sikhs
and Gujaratis within the Indo‑
Canadian community.
A large business delegation will
accompany Trudeau, and trade ties
will be an important facet of his
Mumbai stop.
Some of Trudeauʼs cabinet col‑
leagues, including Indo‑Canadian
minister for innovation, science and
economic development Navdeep
Bains and minister of international
trade Fançois‑Philippe Champagne,
NATIONAL COMMUNITY
booked for ‘maligning’ Pakistan
Pramila Jayapal is the only Indian American member of US Congress
to announce boycotting Presidentʼs address to Joint Session of
Congress on Jan 30. (Photo courtesy The Hill)
that he has no interest in leading a
unified country. He has gone out
of his way to play to a small and
shrinking base of voters by using
language that diminishes and
demeans vast swaths of people in
our own country and around the
world," Jayapal said.
"His path is dangerous. His path
is destructive. His path cannot be
normalized. I will not normalize it.
This is our own form of non‑vio‑
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
(Photo courtesy UC Observer)
are likely to join the trip. In addi‑
tion, nearly a dozen members of
Canadaʼs Parliament, of Indian her‑
itage, will also arrive in India with
Trudeau.
In a statement released by the
Canadian Prime Ministerʼs Of fice,
Trudeau said, “Canada and India
share a special bond and are linked
by tremendous people‑to‑people
connections. The more than one
million Canadians of Indian origin
make the relationship between our
two countries a truly special one. I
look forward to meeting with Prime
Minister Modi and further strength‑
ening the Canada‑India friendship.”
It added this visit will provide an
opportunity for Trudeau to “con‑
nect with Indian leaders in govern‑
ment and business, promote the
empowerment of women and girls,
and strengthen Canada and Indiaʼs
close economic ties”.
lent resistance," she said.
According to Jayapal, her con‑
stituents and people across the
country are "heartbroken, terrified
and demoralized".
Jayapal is the only Indian‑
American lawmaker to have
announced boycotting Trump's
State of the Union Address, which
is a customary annual address of
the US President to a joint session
of the Congress.
Apple joins Malala Fund, will
support girlsʼ education in India
London: In an ef fort to support
education for girls in India and
around the world, Apple Jan. 22
announced support for the Malala
Fund, led by Nobel Peace Prize
Laureate Malala Yousafzai, which
focuses on advocating for every
girl's right to 12 years of free,
safe and quality education.
With Apple's support, the
Malala Fund expects to double the
number of grants awarded by its
"Gulmakai Network" and extend
funding programs to India and
Latin America, with the initial
goal of extending secondary edu‑
cation opportunities to more than
100,000 girls.
The fund's "Gulmakai Network"
currently supports programs in
Afghanistan, Pakistan, Lebanon,
Turkey and Nigeria.
Apple will become the fund's
first Laureate partner, enabling a
significant expansion of
Yousafzai's ef forts to support
girls' education and advocate for
equal opportunity.
"We believe that education is a
great equalizing force, and we
share the Malala Fund's commit‑
ment to give every girl an oppor‑
tunity to go to school," CEO Tim
Cook said in a statement.
Cook will also join the Malala
Fund leadership council.
"Yousafzai is a courageous advo‑
Jan 27-Feb 2, 2018 7
Islamabad: Pakistanʼs former while serving as Pakistani ambas‑
ambassador to the US, Husain sador to the US.
Haqqani, has been booked for He served as ambassador from
allegedly giving hate 2008 to 2011 in US and
speeches and writing was removed for alleged
books and art icles role in what is known as
defaming the military Memogate controversy.
and the government. A police of ficial said
Haqqani was named that under due proce‑
in FIRs lodged by three dure, Haqqani should
people in two police sta‑ surrender himse lf to
tions in Kohat district of them or he would be
northwest Pakistanʼs declared an absconder.
Khyber‑Pakhtunkhwa Haqqani was crit i‑
province, accusing him Pakistanʼs former cized by parliament for
of “maligning” Pakistan ambassador to the his column in T he
in his books, US, Husain Haqqani Washington Post in
DawnNews reported. has been in the bad which he had written
The three FIRs were books of Islamabad that he had helped the
reg istered in for his views on the US forces in eliminating
Cantonment and direction Pakistan is al‑Qaeda chief Osama
going in.
Bilitang police stations bin Laden when the
by Momin, Muhammad Asghar and government and ISI had been kept
Shamsul Haq. in the dark about the secret opera‑
The complainants alleged that tion.
the former ambassador had caused It was about a memo sent to for‑
irreparable loss to the country and mer Admiral Mike Mullen appar‑
defamed it. ently seeking help of the then
Asghar alleged in the FIR that Obama administration to avert a
Haqqani was a “mentor of the military takeover in the wake of
Memogate scandal” and had issued raid at the hideout of Osama in
visas to “CIA and Indian agents” May 2011.
Apple CEO Tim Cook and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate
Malala Yousafzai visit with Lebanese and Syrian students in Beirut,
Lebanon. (Photo courtesy: Apple)
cate for equality. She's one of the "I am grateful that Apple knows
most inspiring figures of our time, the value of investing in girls and
and we are honored to help her is joining the Malala Fund in the
extend the important work she is fight to ensure all girls can learn
doing to empower girls around and lead without fear," she noted.
the world," Cook added. Since 2013, the Malala Fund
Apple will help the Malala Fund has been working in partnership
scale its organization by assisting with other organizations, the pri‑
with technology, curriculum and vate sector and governments
research into policy changes around the world to realize every
needed to help girls everywhere girl's right to 12 years of free,
attend school and complete their safe, quality education.
education. "With an estimated 130 million
"My dream is for every girl to girls out of school, the importance
choose her own future," said of their work is increasing ly
Yousafzai. essential," Apple said.
 8 Jan 27-Feb 2, 2018 US AFFAIRS TheSouthAsianTimes.info

US shutdown over, new deadline looms

Washington: President Donald
Trump has signed a temporary
funding bill ending a nearly
three‑day government shutdown,
capping off deadlock and rein‑
stating funds for a fortnight, a
senior official said.
The federal government is
expected to be back in business
on Tuesday. Thousands of federal
employees who had been placed
on temporary, unpaid leave since
Saturday, breathed a sigh of
relief, the BBC reported.
Late on Monday, the
Democratic leadership agreed to
back the bill after accepting
promises from Republicans for a
debate later "on the future of
young illegal immigrants". This
stopgap funding will expire on
February 8. The House and the
Senate voted Monday to end the
government shutdown, extending
funding for three weeks, follow‑
ing a deal reached between
Senate Minority Leader Chuck
Schumer and Senate Majority
Congress could reach a longer‑
term budget agreement in the
meantime.
Trump took a swipe at the
Democrats as he signed the bill: "I
am pleased that the Democrats in
the Congress have come to their
senses. We will make a long‑term
deal on immigration if, and only
if, it is good for our country."
McConnell said his party had
"come to an arrangement" to
negotiate on their calls for an
immigration deal. Democrats
want protections from deporta‑
tion for so‑called Dreamers ‑‑
more than 700,000 young immi‑
The question was who will blink first ‑‑ Senate Minority Leader Chuck grants brought to the US as chil‑
Schumer and Democrats or Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell
dren.
and Republicans. Shutdown ended after Democrats agreed to trust
But Republicans had insisted no
that McConnell will allow 'dreamer' vote.
agreement was possible while the
Leader Mitch McConnell. gin. federal government services were
The House passed the continu‑ However, key issues remained closed.
ing resolution 266‑159, with 36 unresolved, the CNN said. This was the fourth temporary
more yes votes than the four‑ This so‑called continuing reso‑ measure since October 2017,
week resolution they passed last lution keeps the government because Capitol Hill cannot agree
week, after the Senate earlier funded until the second week of on a longer‑term budget, the
passed the bill by an 81‑18 mar‑ February in the hope that the media said.
The Democrats would still want
something tangible on DACA
(Deferred Action for Childhood
Arrivals program) but it was
problematic because it could run
into the February 8 funding dead‑
line, Republican Senator Jeff
Flake said.
Democrats voiced skepticism
and some liberal groups were
infuriated by the agreement to
reopen the government.
Possible Democratic 2020 pres‑
idential candidates in the Senate ‑
Elizabeth Warren, Kirsten
Gillibrand, Cory Booker, Bernie
Sanders and Kamala Harris ‑ all
voted against Monday's bill.
On Twitter, "Democrats CAVED"
was trending on Monday evening.
Schumer accused Trump of fail‑
ing to help reach a deal. "The
great deal‑making President sat
on the sidelines," he said.
But many have expressed dis‑
satisfaction with Schumer's han‑
dling of the shutdown, which
began on midnight on Friday.

Women’s marches with eye on polls US to open embassy in Jerusalem

before 2019 end: Pence
Jerusalem: The US will open its
embassy in Jerusalem "before the
end of next year", US Vice President
Mike Pence said on Monday in the
Israeli Parliament, where he reiter‑
ated the city was "the capital of the
state of Israel".
Pence's statement follows
Washington: The 2018 Women's By 2018, Women's March US, along President Donald Trump's recogni‑
Marches held on January 20, 2018 with protesting Trump and his tion of Jerusalem as Israel's capital
on the anniversary of 2017 administrationʼs policies on immi‑ last month, a move that overturned
Women's March was a reprise gration, healthcare, racial divides decades of American policy and
protest march with coordinated and other issues, new themes international consensus on the sta‑ US Vice President Mike Pence meets with Israeli Prime Minister
mass rallies, attracting hundreds of gained momentum including tus of the holy city, the New York Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Jan. 22, 2018. (Photo: IANS)
thousands of participants, in hun‑ "Power to the Polls". Power to the Times reported.
dreds of cities, towns and suburbs Polls carries a new message with a Both Israelis and Palestinians con‑ create an opportunity to move on in refugees. In a statement on her
in the United States, with sister ral‑ focus on increasing voter participa‑ sider Jerusalem as their capital. At good‑faith negotiations between Facebook page, Israel's Culture
lies in Canada, the UK, Japan, Italy tion through new voter registra‑ the Parliament, Pence appreciated Israel and the Palestinian Minister, Miri Regev, called Pence "a
and other countries. Some of the tions, encouraging more women, as Trump and said that "the alliance Authority". very welcome guest here" and
largest rallies in the United States "strong advocates for womenʼs between our two countries has Netanyahu called Trump's thanked him and Trump for endors‑
were held in New York, rights", to run for office. By January never been stronger and the friend‑ Jerusalem decision "historic" and ing the Israeli claim to Jerusalem
Washington, Los Angeles, Dallas, 2018, the #MeToo movement had ship between our peoples has never thanked Pence for his part in the and for cutting funding for the UN
Philadelphia, Chicago, San become galvanizing force at many been deeper ‑‑ and I am here to con‑ embassy's move. agency. Pence met Egyptian
Francisco (pictured), and Atlanta. of the rallies. (Photo: Wikipedia) vey a simple message from the The decision led to widespread President Abdel‑Fattah al‑Sisi on
hearts of the American people. protests in which 30 Palestinians Saturday and held talks with
were killed by Israeli security Jordan's King Abdullah II on Sunday
US stocks close at record highs as America stands with Israel".
Arab‑Israeli lawmakers had said forces. "I've had the privilege over before arriving in Israel.
government shutdown ends earlier that they would boycott the the years of standing here with hun‑
dreds of world leaders and welcome
Palestinian President Mahmoud
Abbas will not meet Pence. He
Parliament speech.
New York: US stocks ended higher on Monday, with three indices all them, all of them, to Israel's capital, called Trump's Jerusalem declara‑
Pence was earlier given a warm
closing at record highs, as US lawmakers reached a bill that would Jerusalem," said Netanyahu. tion "a slap in the face".
welcome to the office of Prime
resume government shutdown. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added "This is the first time that I'm On Tuesday, Pence was to visit the
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,
142.88 points, or 0.55 per cent, to 26,214.60. The S&P 500 gained standing when both leaders can say Western wall in East Jerusalem, a
greeted by an honor guard as the
22.67 points, or 0.81 per cent, to 2,832.97, Xinhua news agency report‑ those three words: 'Israel's capital, Jewish holy site at the foot of the
US national anthem played.
ed. The Nasdaq Composite Index was up 71.65 points, or 0.98 per cent, Jerusalem'," he said. Al‑Aqsa Mosque compound, a flash‑
The welcoming ceremony in
to 7,408.03. The US government shut down on Saturday after a spend‑ Trump had said that the point site sacred to both Muslims
Jerusalem was attended by the
ing bill that would fund the government through February 16 was voted embassy's move should not hamper and Jews and a focal point of the
White House Middle East envoy
against in the Senate. Members of the senate reached a short‑term com‑ peace talks and also threatened to unrest in East Jerusalem.
Jason Greenblatt, US Ambassador to
promise on Monday to keep the government open through February 8. shutter an office of the Palestine Palestinians, who on Sunday
Israel David Friedman, and the
Stocks kicked off the session trading lower, but quickly erased those Liberation Organisation in burned pictures of Pence during
Israeli Ambassador to Washington,
losses. Analysts said that historically, a brief bout of volatility had hit the Washington as well as cut American protests, called for a general strike
Ron Dermer.
market following a government shutdown, but the impact was often donations to the UN agency that on Tuesday to protest the visit.
Pence said that Trump's
short‑lived. Investors also kept an eye on the corporate earnings reports. provides services for Palestinian ‑IANS
December 6 announcement "would
TheSouthAsianTimes.info NATIONAL COMMUNITY Jan 27-Feb 2, 2018 9

Polarization overshadows Trump's

one year of post‑digital presidency
By Arul Louis technology, won him the undying But all this is not to negate $230 million in a manufacturing the President has denied using it.
hatred of many Democrats and the Trumpʼs achievements. The Dow plant in Michigan. Immigration, DACA specifically,

I
ronically for a President who ran
on a platform of scaling back the
government, Donald Trump
began the anniversary of his swear‑
ing‑in on Saturday with his govern‑
ment shut down after Senate's fail‑
ure to approve an ad‑hoc budget
Friday.
It fell a victim to the deepening
polarization after a year of a post‑
digital presidency when Trump ran
the government through an ava‑
lanche of Tweets with instant reac‑
tions magnifying their impact.
It was a year the billionaire‑
turned‑President kept opponents on
edge, his administration on a steep‑
er edge, the world in shock but not
in awe, and his core supporters
close by his side.
He ranked as the least popular of
modern Presidents with a NBC
News/WSJ poll showing him at 39
% approval rating.
Trump's upset election victory
over Hillary Clinton propelled by
the white working class and those
who fell victims to globalization and
media and intellectual elites who
saw this as a personal affront.
His legitimacy was questioned
because he lost the popular vote but
squeaked through with a slender
majority in the electoral college and
his opponents have latched on to
the alleged Russian interference to
push it further. The ongoing
Mueller probe into it has ensnared
the disgraced NSA Michael Flynn,
and a lesser figure, George
Papadopoulos.
Jones index soared by over 30 % to
record highs and unemployment is
down to 4.1 %. His mammoth tax
reform reduced corporate taxes to
21% from 35%. As a result, compa‑
nies like Apple bringing back hun‑
dreds of billions of dollars stashed
away abroad nd giving bonuses to
workers or increasing their wages.
Trump's America First policy has
shown results in bringing invest‑
ments and jobs. India's Mahindra
group, for example, is investing
As for his foreign policy, ISIS has
been routed in Syria and Iraq. And
with his bluster that matches North
Korean dictator Kim Jong‑Un,
Trump has forced him to back down
and hold talks with South Korea.
But Trump has isolated the US on
many issues. His decision to recog‑
nize Jerusalem as Israel's capital
brought out the isolation starkly
with a resounding criticism from
the UN General Assembly where
only 8 countries stood behind
Washington.
Trump has pulled the US out of
the hard‑won Paris climate pact and
UNESCO and wants to back out of
or recast trade pacts like NAFTA.
Influenced by Israel and Saudi
Arabia, he has also threatened to
back out of the deal with Iran to
stop it from developing nuclear
weapons.
The world was aghast at a
Democratic Senator's claim that
Trump used the word S…hole to
describe African countries while
discussing immigration, although
ultimately led to the government
shutdown. Thrown into the mix is
Trump's election promise to build
along the Mexican border to keep
out illegal immigrants and bargain‑
ing with Congress to allocate funds
for it.
His attempts to control immigra‑
tion from eight countries ‑‑ six of
them with Muslim majorities ‑‑ have
run afoul of courts.
The charge of racism was thrown
at Trump when after violence at an
August rally by White supremacists
in Charlottsville, VA, he said there
were good people on both sides.
Trump's polarization has come to
haunt his party. Republicans lost
the governorships of New Jersey
and Virginia and a Senate seat in
Alabama in elections this year ‑‑ a
trend that could put the GOP's
Senate majority in play during next
year's elections.
Based in New York, Arul Louis is
the UN correspondent for Indo‑
Asian News Service.
 10 Jan 27-Feb 2, 2018
Let us take on the unemployment crisis
ourselves, not depend on politicians!
By Shivaji Sengupta
T
he Long Island Railroad was stalled.
Apparently, there was a collision
between another train and a tractor‑
trailer a few miles ahead of us. Passengers
like us, going to work, were stranded. There
was talk of a bus service taking us to
Hicksville. There were also rumors we were
going back to the station of origin, to start
our journey all over again. I looked up the
app in my phone and learned that there was
a train leaving in an hour from another sta‑
tion. If I could get myself there I could go to
work.
No, this column today is not about the
vagaries of LIRR. It is about an experience I
had waiting for the train to New York.
As I was waiting for an Uber to get to the
Patchogue Railroad Station, I saw two gen‑
tlemen also contemplating going to
Patchogue. Overhearing their conversation I
realized that there was some hesitation in
them in terms of money; that they were
both unemployed, and were questioning the
wisdom of spending another 20 dollars;
why not return the train fares and think of a
new line of action? Since I was going to take
Uber anyway, I asked them whether they
would like to ride to Patchogue with me.
Initially taken aback, they accepted gra‑
ciously. We were going to go to Patchogue
together.
There names are Pete and Joe (names
intentionally changed). Both are white, most
probably in their mid‑forties. Dressed in
heavy informal winter clothing, they were
looking for machinist work, having been
laid off some six months ago. Their unem‑
ployment benefits will run out soon, and
they are worried. They talked about them‑
selves without hesitation. I learned that
they had never completed high school,
working as auto mechanics ever since
teenage. For more than 20 years, they have
worked off and on “all our lives.” They had
never worried about being unemployed for
any length of time; until now. I also learned
that Pete was still married, but Joe was
divorced. I learned they were going to an
employment agency in New York City for
auto mechanics. They were, in their own
words (said with a wan smile), “hopeful
without hope.”
Why?
On the train going to New York, the con‑
versation turned to politics. They both
voted for Trump, although Joe identifies
himself as a Democrat. He had voted for
Obama the second time mainly because he
had “saved the auto industry.” In the 2008
elections, he had abstained. But last year he
– and Pete too – had lost his job. They both
realized that while President Obama had
done a lot for the country (they both sup‑
ported Affordable Healthcare), they them‑
selves, “the less than middle class” as they
described themselves, did not gain anything
those eight years[SS1] .
Then came Trump. He told them all these
other presidents, they have been just fool‑
ing them, lying to them. They sold away
their jobs to foreign countries. They let all
US AFFAIRS
Increasingly, those who drop out of college without
degrees will be shut out of professional positions,
skilled jobs will be taken over by robots, and politicians
will blame whomever for the unrest created by the lack
of employment among certain sections of the popula-
tion. This is what the writer told two guys he met on
the train and who were looking for work.
those immigrants in, to take the few jobs
that were left. Well, now all thatʼs going to
end. When Trump is president jobs will
return to America for the American people.
Immigration will be stopped! A Big Wall will
be built all along the southern border.
America will be great again.
Pete and Joe recited almost ad verbatim
these words. But I could sense irony in their
tone. Then Pete came out with it: “We have
been had again!”
Why, I said, the economy has been
improving for a whole year, hasnʼt it?
Stocks have been rising. And now with the
Tax Reform, Trump says the middle class
will have more money in their pockets.
“We are not the middle class!” they almost
said in unison, a sort of bitter irony laced
their voice.
Joe and Pete complained about every one
of those things President Trump ran
against: the Latinos getting the jobs; poorer
white Americans being left out of the lower
to/middle class job markets; the economic
upturn is not for them, just as it wasnʼt dur‑
ing Obama. They said while they did not
condone violence by white people against
“these immigrants,” they understood the
anger. I was listening quietly, but now I
decided to step in.
“Your problem is not with Donald Trump,
or with any other president for that matter,”
I said as gently as possible. Joe and Pete
held me in their gaze, waiting for me to con‑
tinue. Feeling a little nervous, I nevertheless
decided to forge ahead with my views. I
asked them, “Will you do the work the
Hispanics in Patchogue and Medford do, for
$8 an hour?” They both shook heads. “The
jobs youʼve been looking for are being given
away, not to the Hispanics, are not being
sent abroad, but are being taken over by
other machines.”
“What do you mean?” they asked leaning
forward at the same time together.
“They are making low‑grade automatic
machines that join parts, screw and
unscrew bolts, deliver parts to other parts
of the factory.” Joe said he had heard about
this, but didnʼt believe most of it. But now
that an “educated man” like me is saying so
– he said pointing toward me with respect –
it must be true.
“So donʼt blame the politicians, they will
always say whatever they need to win elec‑
tions. Thatʼs their job” I said more defini‑
tively, straightening up on my seat.
“Instead, you need to do something else.”
Joe and Pete were definitely interested.
“Have you heard of BOECES?” They both
did but did not really know much about it.
“BOECES trains individuals for jobs by
teaching them the skills that are needed in
todayʼs market. Itʼs a State run thing,” I said,
“and itʼs in most cases free.”
Joe and Pete were definitely interested.
They too sat up on their seat, their blue‑
grey eyes shining. I continued to explain
what BOECES was, how they can join in,
how BOECES would train them, and even
send them to agencies and job openings so
that they can be working again.
They seemed suddenly relieved, and
laughed. Joe questioned why they needed to
go to monstrous New York to apply in their
agencies. I hastened to tell them that they
should follow through with the New York
agency, now that they have come so far, and
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
spent the train fare.
“And another thing,” I said.
“Please make sure that your children go to
school and college and finish at least a bach‑
elorʼs degree.”
They both looked at me, not sure they
understood why. I told them that I had said
the same things to parents who attended St.
Josephʼs College in Patchogue where I used
to teach on Saturdays for a short while. I
told Pete and Joe that the time is already
here that not only a high school diploma is
not enough to get jobs, even an Associateʼs
degree is not. People need the bachelorʼs.”
Joe and Pete were listening.
“There will come a time soon,” I said, now
that I seemed to have won their confidence,
“When, white people who drop out of col‑
lege without degrees, white people will be
slowly shut out of professional positions,
skilled jobs will be taken over by robots,
and politicians will blame whomever for the
unrest created by the lack of employment
among certain sections of the population.”
Both Joe and Pete said with pensive looks
on their faces that they have absolutely no
control over their children. Neither has
spent time with them. They grew up ran‑
domly, listening to neither parents, or their
teachers. Why would they start now?
May be they would notice you are going
to BOECES, I said thoughtfully, even tenta‑
tively, so as to not sound cocksure.
Penn Station arrived and we shook hands,
saying our good‑byes. Perhaps our paths
would never cross again, but I felt like I
made two friends. I continued my journey in
the subway, going to my work place in the
Bronx. I was thinking about Joe and Pete
and about our country. We hear employ‑
ment is on the rise, although in Nassau and
Suffolk counties there has actually been a
slight dip in private sector jobs. But my pur‑
pose of writing this column today is to ask
some questions about what we as citizens
are prepared to do to help each other.
Obviously, we cannot, should not regard
anyone as “the Other.” They are all our
brothers and sisters, and we have problem
we have to[SS2] face together. Letʼs not
hide behind statistics – employment situa‑
tion is improving (well, not for the poor!),
the economy is improving (again, not for
every one!).
I think the time may have come for each
of us to do what we can, one‑on‑one, join
volunteer groups, work with small groups,
and try to improve our own situations,
instead of expecting politicians to solve our
problems. I am an educator, so education is
what I think of as a solution. But I am sure
there are other ways that we all have that
we can share. It is my belief that if we join
in with our communities, making sure that
every economic group is with us, we will
overcome the problem of unemployment
among the poor and the hitherto unskilled.
And, who knows, through this process of
mutual help, support and cooperation, we
might even find some who are willing to
truly represent us in the local, State and
Congressional assemblies.
Letʼs hope so!
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Trump suspends aid to Pakistan and
threatens to revoke mutual security pact
By Ven Parameswaran
P
resident Donald Trump wants to
defeat the Taliban terrorists in
Afghanistan to enable Kabul to
maintain law and order. However, the USA
cannot achieve this unless Pakistan with‑
draws its support of Taliban in
Afghanistan. Pakistan has been giving safe
haven to Taliban in the North West
Frontier Province of Pakistan. Although
Washington has been pressing Pakistan
for several years, Islamabad has not coop‑
erated. Pakistan has aggravated US‑Pak
relations by hiding and safeguarding Al
Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden for seven
years. The doctor who helped identify
Osama bin Laden has been imprisoned and
Pakistan refuses to release him in spite of
appeal from the US. Pakistan has too
many terror cells and organizations.
Trump has given an ultimatum to Pakistan
that unless they take necessary action to
get rid of terrorists of all brands including
Lakshar‑e‑Taiba (LeT) that was responsible
for attacking Bombay, the US will revoke
US Pakistan Mutual Security Pact in effect
from 1954.
President Trump is being ably advised by
Lisa Curtis, Director in charge of South
Asia in the National Security Council. Lisa
Curtis has built a high reputation as an
expert on South Asia. “She is the right per‑
son, for the right job at the right time,” said
Marvin Weinbaum, a senior US expert on
South Asian affairs. “Lisa is held in the
highest respect by those in Washingtonʼs
think tank and academic community with
expertise on Pakistan and Afghanistan.”
In a recent report she co‑authored with
former Pakistani ambassador Husain
Haqqani, Ms. Curtis praised Pakistanʼs
achievements in Operation Zarb‑i‑Azb but
also underlined the need for a nuanced
pressure on Pakistan to make it align its
policies on Afghanistan with the US.
The report was an effort of 12 think tank
experts, led by Ms. Curtis and Mr. Haqqani,
who now works for the Hudson Institute,
Washington, and was published jointly by
Hudson and the Heritage Foundation.
Scholars from Brookings Institute and
Georgetown University were also consult‑
ed. The report suggests a more vigorous
effort to encourage Pakistan to break ties
with the Taliban and other terrorist groups
based in the country, like LeT, which is
accused of attacking Bombay in November
2008.
The report also recommends curtailing
assistance to the military if it assists
US AFFAIRS
In a recent report she co‑authored with former Pakistani ambassador Husain Haqqani, Lisa
Curtis, Director in charge of South Asia in the National Security Council, underlined the need
for nuanced pressure on Pakistan to make it align its policies with the US on Afghanistan.
groups that kill Americans, including US
troops in Afghanistan or American visitors
in India. It recommends revoking
Pakistanʼs status as a major non‑NATO ally
in six months if the army does not change
course.
It also suggests a review of the option to
declare Pakistan a state sponsor of terror‑
ism if Islamabad does not change its poli‑
cies. The report also lays out a roadmap
for Pakistan to change its policies.
Ambassador Haqqani has said Pakistan
must change its approach to the Kashmir
issue, The Economic Times reported. He
made the statement while delivering a lec‑
ture titled “Pakistan, Afghanistan and a his‑
tory of mistrust” at the Royal Institute of
International Affairs, Chatham House in
London.
He called for the need of a “decisive shift”
in Pakistanʼs approach to the issue.
“Pakistan needs to have the kind of
approach China has over Taiwan. It does
not need to give up its claim but it needs to
move on other issues first,” Haqqani said.
He stressed on the need for Pakistan to
refocus its efforts towards internal affairs,
saying “we need to take a more pragmatic
approach….”
He called India “an imaginary threat”
during his lecture, alleging that rhetoric
rather than reality is the basis of enmity
between the two neighbors, adding:
“Parity with India is not an attainable
objective, as quite simply size matters.
Indiaʼs economy is 10 times larger. It is a
kind of psychological and political insecuri‑
ty that has held Pakistan back. The best
strategy would be to focus inward.”
Haqqani has been a vocal critic of mili‑
tary intervention in Pakistan politics in the
past while serving as Pakistanʼs ambassa‑
dor to US during 2008 ‑ 2011.
STUMBLING BLOCKS
IN PAK‑INDIA
RELATIONSHIP
Although he said he was pleased to hear
about the FO‑level talks between Pakistan
and India, he was quick to add that “the
fundamentals of the relationship are yet to
be addressed.”
Cases like the treatment of the accused
Bombay‑attack planner, Zakiur Rehman
Lakhvi will remain a bone of contention in
any future meaningful dialogue. Lakhvi
has been living comfortable “detention” life
in jail, according to BBC.
Similarly, the treatment of Jamat ud
Dawa (JuD) in Pakistan will not help mat‑
ters either. India and the USA have long
been demanding that JuD chief Hafiz Saeed
be taken to task for his alleged involve‑
ment in the 2008 Bombay terror attacks.
JuD continues to operate in Pakistan
according to a Pak spokesperson.
However, Haqqani remained positive that
the political impasse can be overcome stat‑
ing “Pakistan is part of the international
community that has agreed that terrorism
is not acceptable. So there are several
aspects where responsibility can be fixed.”
Ambassador Haqqani recalled the time
Osama bin Laden was shot in Pakistan
while he was serving as the Pakistani
ambassador to US. He was quick to accept
responsibility pointing that Pakistan owes
“an explanation to the world.”
Pakistan has long been critical of Indian
presence in Afghanistan but Haqqani
Jan 27-Feb 2, 2018 11
believes it is entirely based on trade, aid
and education ties. These are not danger‑
ous for Pakistan and the two countries can
further improve their relations by working
together in Afghanistan.
President Trump has made his foreign
policy Asia‑centric. He spent 12 days visit‑
ing Asia (China, Japan, S. Korea, Vietnam,
and Philippines). Before leaving for Asia,
Trump talked about his new alliance with
Australia, Japan, S. Korea, and India. He
also met with Indian Prime Minister
Narendra Modi at an international eco‑
nomic conference.
Trump insisted that stability and security
of Afghanistan is paramount, and he was
seeking Indiaʼs support. He also gave
notice to Beijing that he was unhappy with
the way China has been reacting on South
China Sea adventure. Supporting Vietnam
and Philippines, Trump told China that the
Pacific Ocean is not a private swimming
pool for China!
Trump has offered to India 100% of all
US technology and he made a point to
underscore that India would be treated like
Americaʼs closest ally. Trump wants to
beef up the united naval power of US,
India, Australia, Japan, South Korea,
Vietnam and Philippines in defending
against the Chinese adventure and ambi‑
tion. Trump pointed out that the US has
paid over $35 billion to Pakistan since
9/11, but Pakistan has betrayed. He is
determined and has decided based upon
advice of Lisa Curtis and Ambassador
Haqqani that the US policy must change.
He is also more concerned about the safety
and security of Pakistanʼs nuclear assets.
US‑Pakistan Mutual Security Pact has not
helped Pakistan either. When India used
military force to liberate East Pakistan
9now Bangaldesh), Pakistan was disap‑
pointed that the US did not intervene mili‑
tarily. China also chose not to intervene.
Pakistan was dismembered and lost East
Pakistan. Pakistan should realize that if it
goes against the democratic process, peo‑
ple will succeed and even the strongest
military will fail. Trump wants to withdraw
from Afghanistan as early as possible.
Pakistan has no choice but to cooperate
with the US. This is a great opportunity for
India to work in unison with the USA,
Australia, Japan, and South Korea.
Ven Parameswaran, National Senior Vice
Chairman, Indian American Republican
Committee, was formerly President & CEO,
First Asian Securities Corp., NY and is a
resident of Scarsdale, NY.
 12 Jan 27-Feb 2, 2018 INDIA TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Loya issue 'serious', will examine: SC

New Delhi: The Supreme Court
said the controversy surrounding
the death of Special CBI court
judge B.H. Loya is "serious" and it
will look into the circumstances
leading to his death in November
2014.
Judge Loya was holding the
trial into the staged shootout
deaths of Sohrabuddin Sheikh and
two others.
"Matter is serious. Let us look at
full records. Let it never be on our
conscience that we did not look at
what we should have," the bench
said as it directed all the parties
to file whatever material they
have relating to Loya's death and
the circumstances leading to it
and set the next hearing for
Fe bruary 2. Senior counse l
Dushyant Dave, appearing for the
Bombay Lawyers Association, and
Indira Jaising, appearing for an
intervener, said that the records
being pro duced by the
Maharashtra government were
not complete as they pointed to
Judge B.H. Loya was holding the trial into the
Sohrabuddin Sheikh case.
some do cuments they had
accessed through RTI.
"There is no question of restrict‑
ing the records. Prepare a compi‑
lation of the record," Justice D.Y.
Chandrachud said allowing both
the sides to file whatever docu‑
ments they had in their posses‑
sion. The bench of Chief Justice
Dipak Misra, Just ice
A.M.Khanw ilkar and Just ice
Chandrachud also transferred to
itse lf two pet it ions pending
before the Bombay High Court
and its Nagpur bench relating to
the matter and barred other High
Courts from entertaining any plea
relating to the matter.
"As we are in seized of the mat‑
ter, we are sure that no other
High Court, including the High
Court of Bombay, will entertain
any further petition with regard
to the subject matter in issue,"
said the apex court, which is hear‑
ing two pet it ions ‑ by so cial
activist Tehseen Poonawala and
by Maharashtra journalist
Bandhuraj Sambhaji Lone seeking
independent probe into Loya's
death.
At the outset of the hearing,
Dave objected to senior counsel
Harish Salve, appearing for
Maharashtra, saying that it was
"not fair" for him to appear for
the state government after
appearing for BJP President Amit
Shah, and that he has "done
enough damage to the institution"
and "there is a conflict of inter‑
est". He sought the appointment
of amicus curiae to assist the
court, but the court was not
moved.
"We are on the circumstances
leading to the death of Judge
Loya. Let us not comment who is
appearing for whom," said Justice
Chandrachud.
In a face‑off between Dave and
Salve, Dave said: "Entire institu‑
tion is trying to protect one man ‑
Amit Shah and Amit Shah alone"
whom he described as "politician
of great excellence".
At this, Salve objected, saying:
"What is this Amit Shah, Amit
Shah. You are blaming somebody
in the court behind his back. You
can't caste aspersion on some‑
body. You can't jump three steps
and pass comments just because
he happens to be a prominent
politician."
As Dave raised the pitch, the
court intervened, saying that all
the counsel appearing in the mat‑
ter should assist it to "examine
the documents objectively" and
assuring that it would order the
probe if needed.

Shiv Sena to go AAP to fight disqualification of 20 MLAs

solo in 2019
Mumbai: In a major decision, the Shiv Sena has
decided to contest the 2019 Lok Sabha and
Assembly elections independent of its ally, the
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), besides spreading
its wings nationally.
The Shiv Sena National Executive resolved to
fight the next round of state and central elec‑
tions and all future elections separately, its
Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut said here.
Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray also
announced that henceforth the party would
broaden its horizons beyond Maharashtra to
contest elections in all states.
"Be prepared for the next elections. It may be
announced simultaneously in December 2018
or may be held separately," Thackeray goaded
his party leaders in his presidential speech at
the National Executive meeting held at Worli.
He said that over the years the party had con‑
sciously refrained from fighting in other states
‑ barring a few attempts in some states like
Gujarat and Goa ‑ to prevent a split in the
Hindutva votes.
"Now, we shall contest elections in every
state and that too on the Hindutva plank. It is
immaterial whether we win or are vanquished
but our Hindutva will never be abandoned,"
Thackeray said in a hard‑hitting speech target‑
ing the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
This is the second time in four years that the
Shiv Sena has decided to go it alone in
Maharashtra.
In the October 2014 assembly elections, the
Shiv Sena‑BJP alliance had broken down and
both parties fought the elections independent‑
ly. However, barely six months before April
2014, both parties had contest the Lok Sabha
polls as allies with spectacular results.
Later, the BJP emerged as the single largest
party while the Shiv Sena sat as the main oppo‑
sition party for a month and then joined the
ruling BJP.
New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)
will file a fresh plea in the Delhi High
Court to challenge the decision to disquali‑
fy 20 party MLAs in an of fice‑of‑profit
case, a party leader said.
The move comes after the AAP MLAs
withdrew an earlier plea that sought a stay
on the Election Commission's (EC) recom‑
mendation to President Ram Nath Kovind
to disqualify 20 MLAs for holding office‑
of‑profit as Parliamentary Secretaries in
Delhi.
The EC made the recommendation, since
approved by the President, for disqualifi‑
cation of the 20 AAP MLAs.
Following the President's approval, the
Law and Justice Ministry on Sunday issued
a notification that the President has held
that the 20 members of the De lhi Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
Assembly stand disqualified under Section
15 (1) (a) of the Government of National The court's decision came after the EC said President on January 19, before the MLAs
Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD) Act. it had already sent its opinion to the moved the court.
India fastest growing economy at 7.4%: IMF
United Nations: T he International solutions to the challenges facing the glob‑
Monetary Fund (IMF) reaf firmed that al economy in 2018."
India's economy is projected to grow by 7.4 The Update gave a rosier estimate for the
percent in the next fiscal year, regaining current year than the Indian government's.
the rank of the world's fastest‑growing It estimated the Indian gross domestic
large economy as China slows down. product (GDP) growth at 6.7 percent in
Like India's improving economic per‑ 2017‑18, compared to the 6.5 percent fig‑
formance, the global economy was also on ure given by the Ministry of Statistics and
the uptick, estimated to have grown by 3.7 Programme Implementation.
percent last year and forecast to grow this Saying it expected a "pick up in India,"
year and the next by 3.9 percent, according the Update stood by all the projections it
to the Fund's World Economic Outlook made last October. It projected a growth of
Update. At the release of the Update in 7.8 percent in 2019‑20.
Davos, IMF head Christine Lagarde said China, which is 2017's growth champion
IMF head Christine Lagarde.
that for the world economy, "all signs point with a growth rate of 6.8 percent, is expect‑
to a further strengthening both this year appreciate this season of broad‑based ed to slow down to 6.6 percent in this year
and next," but cautioned that "complacency growth momentum," she said. "But we and 6.4 percent next year, according to the
would be a mistake." "We should certainly should also use this time to find lasting Update.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info INDIA Jan 27-Feb 2, 2018 13

India to become $5 trillion economy: Modi

Davos: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on
January 23 said India's reforms have
touched almost all sectors and the country
is set to become a $5 trillion economy by
2025, riding on its vast market and strong
and stable fundamentals.
"Our present development agenda is
based on five pillars. First and foremost, we
do understand that our systems need to
change. Hence, we are persisting with far
reaching structural reforms. Thus, our first
pillar is our mantra of reform, perform and
transform," Modi said while addressing the
plenary session of the World Economic
Forum.
He said: "India is an investment in
future," also adding that: "Indians accepted
in one voice and moved towards a less cash
society and a unified tax system in the
form of GST."
Saying reforms have touched almost all
sectors, Modi said: "This specially includes:
formalising the informal economy through
demonetization and digital transactions,
direct tax reforms and expansion of the tax
base, banking reforms, DBT (direct benefit
transfer) throug h UID (Unique
Identification) and bank accounts, minimiz‑
ing discretion, combating corruption and
controlling inflation. Also, we have consis‑
tently reduced fiscal deficit and current
account deficit."
He pointed out that over the last three
years, the Indian government has resolved
a number of regulatory and policy issues
facing businesses, investors and compa‑
nies."
"In this direction, we have also undertak‑
en bold FDI (foreign direct investment)
reforms. More than 90 per cent of the FDI
approvals have been put on the automatic
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses at World Economic Forum in Davos,
Switzerland. (Photo: IANS/MEA)
approval route. As a result of these
changes, there has been a sharp rise in FDI
in the past three years ‑‑ from $36 billion
in 2013‑14 to $60 billion in 2016‑17."
Modi said the country is using technolo‑
gy to transform governance and deliver
public entitlements and services. "I have
been saying that e‑governance is easy and
effective governance."
"Our government agencies are finding
innovative ways to create a business
friendly environment. We have now devel‑
oped the digestive capacity for various
technologies. Our young people have
already distinguished themselves in the
realm of technology, innovation and entre‑
preneurship."
About infrastructure development in the
country, he said: "Our objective is to reduce
the logistics cost transaction time for vari‑
ous activities. Also, improvement in infra‑
structure have already enthused people as
they are beginning to see a qualitative
change in their lives."
He said India needs to be fully integrated
with the world in major policy areas. "May
be it is the regime of entry and exit of busi‑
nesses, for IPRs (intellectual property
rights), or arbitration and commercial adju‑
dication, we have moved very decisively to
brush up the framework to bring them in
line with global best practices."
Regarding inclusive economic develop‑
ment, he added: "As I said, the biggest rea‑
son for fracture within the countries is
inequality and disparity leading to divide
and distrust. Personally, I have always said
that development process should be inclu‑
sive and encompassing. We have tried in
our own way to bridge the income and
opportunity divide."
He said over the last three years, India
had particularly resolved a number of reg‑
ulatory and policy issues facing businesses,
investors and companies.
"Another good element of this reform
process is that the states are also forth‑
coming. They have started competing for
doing better and better. We call this
process 'competitive federalism'.
"In this direction, we have also undertak‑
en bold FDI reforms. More than 90 per
cent of the FDI approvals have been put on
the automatic approval route. As a result of
these changes, there has been a sharp rise
in FDI in the past three years from $36 bil‑
lion in 2013‑14 to $60 billion in 2016‑17.
"I invite you all if you want to have
wealth with health, then work in India. If
you want peace with prosperity, then stay
in India. If you come to India, you will
always be welcome."
Referring to the UN, Modi said the struc‑
ture systems and practices of the post‑
World War II institutions created for pro‑
tection of global economy and security
don't represent the dreams of today and
needed to be reformed to reflect the cur‑
rent realities.

India to host first Modi meets CEOs at WEF

summit of Davos: Prime Minister Narendra Modi
held a roundtable meeting with the

International CEOs of top global companies.

"Narrating India's growth story and
presenting exciting opportunities for

Solar Alliance global business in India at #Davos,

Davos: Citing global climate change as one of the biggest
global challenges, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India
will host the first summit of the International Solar Alliance
(IAS) in March.
"In 2016, India and France jointly envisioned a new inter‑
national treaty based organisation. This revolutionary step
has now changed into a successful experiment," Modi told
the plenary session of the World Economic Forum.
"As a International Solar Alliance, it is now a reality after
the necessary treaty ratification. I am happy that in March,
French President (Emmanuel) Macron and leaders of mem‑
ber countries of the Alliance will participate in the first
summit of the Alliance, which will be held in New Delhi on
my joint invitation."
Addressing world leaders and global corporate honchos
at the plenary session of the WEF ‑‑ the second Indian
Prime Minister to do so in 21 years ‑‑ Modi took the oppor‑
tunity to elaborate on the threat of climate change.
On India's efforts to generate more renewable power,
Modi said: "To save the environment and to counter climate
change, a huge campaign, a very big goal my government
has placed in front of the country.
"By 2022 we have to produce 175 GW renewable energy
in India. In last three years, we have achieved more than
one‑third of the target."
PM @narendramodi hosted a round‑
table meeting with CEOs of top global
companies," Ministry of External
Affairs said in a tweet.
Mahindra Group Chairman Anand
Mahindra, who had also participated
at the meet, tweeted: "Let me add my
compliments to you all. You did us
proud with your world‑beating orga‑
nizational skills. Every global CEO was
floored by the personal touches in
your hospitality. I am proud to be on
the board of Invest India."
"In addition to listening to PM
keynote address at the plenary ses‑
sion, participating and speaking in
Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets Swiss President Alain Berset in Davos.
several sessions I look forward to join‑ (Photo: IANS/MEA)
ing the Yoga classes on the Alps early
morning ! India's soft power is on full Swiss Alps before leading the Indian T his is Mo di's second visit to
display at World Economic Forum," leader to the meeting. Switzerland in nearly two years after
Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog tweet‑ "On reaching Davos, held talks with his visit in June 2016.
ed. the President of the Sw iss Modi is the first Prime Minister
Earlier, Modi held a bilateral meet‑ Confederat ion, Alain Berset. We from India to participate in a forum
ing with Swiss President Alain Berset reviewed the scope of our bilateral meeting in two decades after the then
who greeted the prime minister with a cooperation and discussed ways to Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda in
warm handshake in this town in the deepen it even further," Modi tweeted. 1997.
 14 Jan 27-Feb 2, 2018
By Amit Kapoor & Bhawna
Kakkar
I
ndia is putting together this
year its largest entourage of
ministers, policymakers and
business leaders for the World
Economic Forum's annual meet‑
ing at Davos ‑‑ with the Prime
Minister addressing the opening
plenary session at the prime
event.
The Davos meeting marks
attendance of the richest and
most powerful among the elite
from across the world to discuss
global economics and politics.
This year's theme is "Creating a
shared future in a fractured
world", highlighting the need for
collaborative and integrated
action to address the multitudinal
scale of challenges that our world
faces today.
Forums with international
repute evolve over a period of
time, just like other organizations.
The World Economic Forum
(WEF) too has widened its ambit
since 1971 ‑‑ from discussions
limited to global economic
change to include political and
social change as well. This broad‑
ening has been brought by an
emphasis on dialogue and con‑
sensus between conflicting agen‑
das.
The growing unification within
the world economy has helped
India establish itself as an emerg‑
ing market economy to a consid‑
India and Israel: Personal chemistry shores up strategic ties
By C. Uday Bhaskar
T
he visit of Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu to India com‑
memorates the 25th anniversary
of the opening of an Indian
embassy in Tel Aviv in 1992 and
will further consolidate an impor‑
tant and strategically distinctive
bilateral relationship for both
nations. It has had a chequered
past since the post‑World War II
birth of both countries but is
poised for a pragmatic future tra‑
jectory based on shared interests.
With a population below nine
million and a GDP of $350 billion,
Israel is relatively small compared
to the Indian behemoth with a
population of 1.25 billion and a
GDP of $2.5 trillion. Yet Israel
occupies a very special niche in
India's security framework and
has been a supplier of critical mili‑
tary technology. This was illustrat‑
ed during the 1999 Kargil War,
when precision‑guided ordnance
was obtained from Tel Aviv.
That India is among the world's
largest importers of military
inventory and that Israel is a
major arms exporter also provides
a natural complementarity to the
OP-ED TheSouthAsianTimes.info
India has a major stake
in global dialogues
al and foreign policies, entrusted
with the responsibility of making
sure that the message is received.
The accompanying ministers,
businessmen and civil society
leaders too would be elaborating
on the efforts made in the last
three‑and‑a‑half‑years in several
sessions.
This move comes at a time
when there's optimism surround‑
ing the Indian sentiment towards
economic growth and social
advancement. The insightful
interactions with top‑notch world
leaders at forums like the WEF
The Davos meeting marks attendance of the richest and make room for some of the best
most powerful among the elite from across the world to learnings and showcasing one's
discuss global economics and politics. (Photo: IANS)
own experiences to foster greater
erable extent. With elite economic 1997. With recent economic connectivity and cordial relations.
powers now recognizing India's reforms as the background and While targeting global forums,
presence worldwide in major sec‑ the Goods & Services Tax (GST) India can lay out its position in
tors, it is useful to understand the and demonetization as the front‑ today's world order; represent the
stature of our participation in runners, Prime Minister Narendra willingness to take the lead and
forums at the global level in view Modi is expected to echo his send out a categorical message
of erratic global developments vision of a new and transformed across the global community
that have become a common India by 2022 at this global stage regarding the creation of a con‑
spectacle today. while taking on issues relating to ducive environment for doing
It is after a gap of 20 years that economic imbalances, terrorism, business, and emerge as a poten‑
an Indian Prime Minister will be and cyber threats. tial partner in steering global eco‑
attending WEF's annual meeting, He is the chief marketing per‑ nomic growth. Reflecting upon
the last being H.D. Deve Gowda in son of India's narrative on nation‑ this view, the government is
visible political resolve in relation
to Islamic radicalism and terror‑
ism. Netanyahu will also get the
Gujarat‑special status, a detour to
Ahmedabad, which Modi accords
to certain leaders.
During the July visit, Modi said,
"Israel and India live in complex
geographies. We are aware of
strategic threats to regional peace
and stability. Prime Minister
Netanyahu and I agreed to do
much more together to protect
our strategic interests." The joint
statement also added: "There can
be no justification of acts of terror
on any grounds whatsoever."
While the bilateral with Israel
has been described as a "strategic
partnership", India's relations
with Israel cannot be divorced
from the larger West Asian geopo‑
Prime Minister Narendra Modi receives Israeli Prime Minister litical canvas where Palestine is a
Benjamin Netanyahu at Rashtrapati Bhavan. (Photo: IANS/PIB)
major factor.
bilateral relationship. Over the Narendra Modi in July 2017, the The Jewish quest for a perma‑
last two decades, the quantum of first by an Indian Prime Minister nent homeland goes back a long
military‑related imports from to Israel. The Modi‑Netanyahu way. Mahatma Gandhi had opined
Israel has steadily increased. It is personal chemistry was on display in 1931: "I can understand the
estimated that India, which buys during that visit which was recip‑ longing of a Jew to return to
almost $1 billion worth annually, rocated as Modi personally Palestine, and he can do so if he
accounts for over 40 percent of received the Israeli leader at the can without the help of bayonets,
Israeli defense exports. airport when he arrived Sunday whether his own or those of
The Netanyahu visit recipro‑ afternoon. The two leaders share Britain... in perfect friendliness
cates that of Prime Minister many characteristics, including a with the Arabs." This sentiment
The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times.
preparing for the commemorative
two‑day Indo‑ASEAN (Association
of Southeast Asian Nations) sum‑
mit to be led by Narendra Modi in
Delhi on from January 25. The
summit will see the participation
of all 10 ASEAN countries. This
can prove to be an opportunity
for our country to present itself
as a powerful confederate to
these countries in areas of strate‑
gic regional connectivity and tar‑
get global positioning as well.
However, India decided to give
a miss at the Asian Financial
Forum (AFF) in Hong Kong. The
AFF features the world's most
powerful business and financial
players discussing ideas and the
developments in dynamic Asian
markets.
If we look at the ramifications
of such global and national
forums, one can assert that these
conversations and dialogues help
in moving one step forward
towards higher integration of
thoughts and experiences. There
are several other platforms even
at the national level, like the
National Competitiveness Forum,
aiming to drive India's productivi‑
ty, competitiveness and leader‑
ship in global markets through its
activities, and Thinkers Sandbox,
a thought leadership platform, to
name a few.
Forums like these can help our
country commandeer a resilient
narrative both nationally and
internationally.
shapes the Indian approach to the
complex and tangled Palestine
issue.
India has traditionally support‑
ed the Palestine cause on the
international stage and has
sought to maintain a fine balance
regarding its bilateral with Israel
in the competing regional politics
of West Asia. It appeared that the
Modi dispensation government
had taken a bold decision to
remove the hyphenation between
Israel and Palestine, but it would
be misleading to infer that the
government has uncritically cast
its weight totally with Israel and
the US.
The recent vote at the UN over
the Trump declaration about
Jerusalem saw Delhi voting with
the larger global consensus that
censured the US over its
announcement. Netanyahu, on the
eve of his India visit, said this vote
would not materially affect the
bilateral. India and Israel are keen
to expand the current bandwidth
of the trade and economic rela‑
tions to move beyond military
sales and include energy, cyber
security and innovation in
desert/arid land agriculture,
among other sectors.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info R-DAY CURTAIN RAISER Jan 27-Feb 2, 2018 15

A tableau of All India Radio will be leading a series of 23 tableaux during the R‑Day
parade for the first time and will feature PM Modiʼs monthly address ʻMann Ki Baat.

ASEAN flag, BSF women motorcycle contingent

among many firsts this Republic Day
New Delhi: Indiaʼs military might,
culture, and diversity will be on full A bridge layer tank ambles down Rajpath
during parade rehearsal.

8
display in the Republic Day Parade
on Rajpath in New Delhi, which will
see the ASEAN flag flying in the sky
and a motorcycle contingent of
women personnel of the BSF for the
first time.
For the first time, the R‑Day
parade will be attended by 10 heads
of the Association of Southeast
Asian Nations (ASEAN).
The ASEAN flag will fly in the sky
over Rajpath for the first time. Five 8 An Indian army contingent marches holding the national flags
of the 10 ASEAN countries during the full dress rehearsal for
Mi‑17 V5 helicopters of the Indian
Air Force would precede the parade
the upcoming Indian Republic Day parade in New Delhi on January
23. 10 ASEAN heads of state will be in attendance as chief guest on
commander and the lead helicopter
26th January, a first in its own right. (Photo: courtesy AFP)
will carry the national flag.
Women personnel of the Border A camel contingent of the BSF and address ʻMann Ki Baatʼ.
Security Force (BSF) will enthrall columns of the 61st cavalry with 51 Of the 23 tableaux in the parade, money drive launched post‑demon‑ Organization will exhibit the
the audience with their motorcycle horses will be part of the parade. 14 would be representing different etization is on the list of many firsts. ʻNirbhayʼ missile and the Ashwini
act. “Itʼs for the first time a motorcy‑ For the first time a tableau of All states and Union Territories. The The Navy will showcase radar system. On behalf of the cen‑
cle display by women personnel of India Radio will be leading a series rest would be of ministries and Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC) tral government, around 61 tribal
the BSF will be part of the Republic of 23 tableaux during the R‑Day departments of Government of Vikrant, which will be commis‑ guests from various parts of the
Day Parade,” Maj Gen Rajpal Punia Parade and will feature Prime India. An Income Tax Department sioned in 2020 and the Defence country have been invited to wit‑
told reporters. Minister Narendra Modiʼs monthly tableau about special anti‑black Development and Research ness the Republic Day celebrations.
 16 Jan 27-Feb 2, 2018
Decks cleared for ʻPadmaavatʼ release.
SC stays ban on 'Padmaavat'
release, Bʼwood euphoric
T
he Supreme Court paved the way for
an all‑India release for Sanjay Leela
Bhansali's "Padmaavat" on January
25 by staying the operation of orders ban‑
ning the release of the film by the Gujarat,
Rajasthan and Haryana governments. The
film industry hailed the decision.
Staying the "notifications and orders" ban‑
ning the release of the controversial film by
the three states, Chief Justice Dipak Misra,
Justice A.M. Khanwilklar and Justice D.Y.
Chandrachud said the remaining states will
not ban the screening of the film. The court
order came on a plea by "Padmaavat" pro‑
ducers ‑‑ Bhansali Productions and
Viacom18 Motion Pictures ‑‑ challenging
the ban on the screening of the film by the
three states that didn't want it to be
screened over alleged distortion of histori‑
cal facts.
Referring to its earlier judgment, the
court said it was incumbent upon the state
governments to ensure law and order.
Making it clear that states can't ban the
release of a film cleared by the Central
Board of Film Certification, the court said
that "creative art can't be guillotined".
Film fraternity members Shyam Benegal,
Manish Mundra, Madhur Bhandarkar and
Ashoke Pandit were among those who laud‑
Mick Jagger is in India
S
inger Mick Jagger is in India and
says he is enjoying the sights and
the sounds of the country. Jagger
took to Twitter to share a photograph of
himself in a shirt paired with a black blazer
and pants.
He seems to be in Jodhpur's Umaid
Bhawan Palace in Rajasthan.
ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD
Team 'Padmaavat'
thanks Akshay Kumar
The lead actors of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's
much‑awaited "Padmaavat" thanked
Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar for
shifting his film "Pad Man" to February 9,
leaving a solo week for "Padmaavat".
Actress Deepika Padukone who is play‑
ing the title role in the film, expressing
her gratitude to Akshay, wrote, "Only
from the heart can you touch the sky ‑
Rumi. On behalf of team 'Padmaavat', a
big, big thank you to the team 'Pad Man'
for your support and generosity!"
Ranveer Singh tweeted, "Big man with a
big heart! Akshay Kumar, grateful to you
sir, much love and respect."
On January 19, alongside the director
Bhansali, Akshay announced the resched‑
ule release date of his film. Respecting his
gesture, Bhansali said, "I will be grateful
to Akshay for a lifetime."
ed the Supreme Court decision.
Benegal said it's "clearly a victory of free‑
dom of expression" while filmmaker Ashoke
Pandit said: "It's a very big success for the
film industry."
Singer Mick
Jagger is one
of the founder
members of
the band
Rolling Stones.
"Enjoying the vibrant sights and sounds of
India!" Jagger captioned the image.
However, it is not known if Jagger is here
for work or for a vacation.
The singer, who is one of the founder
members of the band Rolling Stones, is
known for songs like "Hard woman", "Party
like a doll and "Sweet thing".
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Irrfan, Vidya win Filmfareʼs
best actors award
A
ctor Irrfan Khan won the Filmfare
Best Actor in Leading Role (Male)
award for "Hindi Medium" while
Vidya Balan bagged the Filmfare Best Actor
in Leading Role (Female) Award for "Tumhari
Sulu" at the 63rd Jio Filmfare Awards.
From giving the awards to iconic actors
like Irrfan Khan to Rajkummar Rao, Vidya
Balan to Zaira Wasim ‑‑ the 63rd Jio Filmfare
Awards 2018 celebrated the talents of dif‑
ferent ages.
Vidya received her award from legendary
actress Rekha.
Rajkumar Rao bagged two awards. He won
the Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Male)
for "Bareilly Ki Barfi", and also Critics' Award
for Best Actor (Male) for "Trapped".
Irrfan Khan won the award for
ʻHindi Medium and Vidya
Balan won for ʻTumhari Suluʼ.
The evening was graced by who's who of
Bollywood including Akshay Kumar, who
walked the red carpet along with his "Pad
and Sonali Bendre, Konkona said, "Thank
you so much... It's unbelievable. I would like
Man" co‑star Sonam Kapoor, R. Madhavan, to thank Jio Filmfare. I would like to extend
Arjun Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Shahid Kapoor, my biggest thank you to my team."
Parineeti Chopra, Saqib Saleem, Armaan Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari won the Best Director
Malik, Amaal Malik, Karan Johar, Preity Award for "Bareilly Ki Barfi". Amit V.
Zinta, Rekha, Jaya Bachchan, Madhuri Dixit, Masurkar bagged the Best Original Story
Vidya Balan among many others. Award for his Oscar‑nominated film
Konkona Sen Sharma won the Best Debut "Newton". the film "Newton" also won the
Director Award for "A Death In The Gunj". Filmfare Critics Award for Best Film. "Hindi
Receiving the award from Jaya Bachchan Medium" won the Best Film (popular) Award.
REVIEW
'Vodka Diaries':
A miserable downer
Mandira Bedi and Kay Kay Menon play lead roles in the film.
V
odka Diaries" conjures a visual of Waterloo. The dialogues are cheesy and the
some intoxicating secrets. But alas, screenplay weak.
the title is a forced misnomer. In fact, What follows is, the murder of five people.
it is a corny psychological drama that's Every death is linked to the shady hotel in a
mounted on an equally convoluted plot. town called Vodka Diaries.
Crime and poetry are married in the form The performances of every actor seems
of ACP Ashwini Dixit (Kay Kay Menon) and staged and tedious to watch. Talent is defi‑
an amateur poet Shikha (Mandira Bedi). nitely wasted here.
They are holidaying together in picturesque Ace actors like Kay Kay Menon and Sharib
Manali. Hashmi who plays Ashiwini's faithful lackey
The setting makes for a perfect romantic Ankit, are relegated to doing the mundane
break, except that the couple's holiday is act, which they do with aplomb. But unfortu‑
punctuated with mysterious murders that nately it simply seems like they are sleep‑
need to be solved. walking through their roles. So are Mandira
With writing credits given to four writers, Bedi as Shikha and Raima Sen as the myste‑
the writing and execution of the film is its rious woman Roshni Banerjee.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
BOLLYWOOD CELEBS
THANK ISRAELI PM
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu takes a selfie with Bollywood
personalities during 'Shalom Bollywood'.
I B
srael Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu's bonding in Mumbai with
film celebrities ‑‑ who have described it
an honor and privilege to meet him ‑‑ was
lauded by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as
"wonderful".
Netanyahu met the celebrities at a gala
"Shalom Bollywood" evening.
Megastar Amitabh Bachchan, Karan Johar,
Madhur Bhandarkar, Vivek Oberoi, Abhishek
Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai‑Bachchan, Karan
Johar, Subhash Ghai, Imtiaz Ali, Prasoon
Joshi, Randhir Kapoor, Ronnie Screwvala
and Sara Ali Khan were among some of the
names from the film fraternity present at
the event. Karan tweeted a series of photo‑
graphs of himself with Netanyahu, saying: "A
NEVER MOLESTED MY
DAUGHTER: WOODY ALLEN
O
scar‑winning director Woody Allen
has reiterated that he never molest‑
ed his daughter Dylan Farrow. He
says she was relentlessly coached that "her
father was a dangerous sexual predator".
Allen had in 2014 written in The New
York Times to deny longstanding claims
that he molested Dylan when she was a
young girl in 1992. While that was meant as
his "final word on this entire matter", he
reiterated it in light of Dylan's first televi‑
sion interview with "CBS This Morning"
about her accusations, reported ew.com.
In a statement, Allen said: "When this
claim was first made more than 25 years
ago, it was thoroughly investigated by both
the Child Sexual Abuse Clinic of the Yale‑
New Haven Hospital and New York State
Child Welfare.
"They both did so for many months and
independently concluded that no molesta‑
tion had ever taken place. Instead, they
found it likely a vulnerable child had been
coached to tell the story by her angry moth‑
er during a contentious breakup.
"Dylan's older brother Moses has said that
he witnessed their mother doing exactly
that ‑‑ relentlessly coaching Dylan, trying to
drum into her that her father was a danger‑
ous sexual predator. It seems to have
ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD
complete honor and privilege to meet with
the honorable Prime Minister of Israel
Benjamin Netanyahu... Such a wonderful
evening with friends of the fraternity."
Bhandarkar said it was "great attending
presentation on history, culture and geodi‑
versity of Israel along with film fraternity
and had a pleasure interacting with
Honorable Prime Minister of Israel
Netanyahu and the first lady."
On Netanyahu's wish, the celebrities posed
for an Oscar‑like selfie.
Netanyahu shared the photograph on his
Twitter, writing: "Will my Bollywood selfie
beat Hollywood selfie at the Oscars?"
To that, Modi wrote: "Wonderful bonding,
Prime Minister!"
Woody Allen accused daughter of taking
advantage of Time's Up movement.
worked ‑‑ and, sadly, I'm sure Dylan truly
believes what she says.
"But even though the Farrow family is
cynically using the opportunity afforded by
the Time's Up movement to repeat this dis‑
credited allegation, that doesn't make it any
more true today than it was in the past. I
never molested my daughter ‑‑ as all investi‑
gations concluded a quarter of a century
ago."
Jan 27-Feb 2, 2018 17
International Singer Ed Sheeran performing at a concert.
Ed Sheeran engaged
to girlfriend
ritish singer‑songwriter Ed Sheeran ed her to Taylor Swift's Fourth of July
has announced his engagement party in 2015.
with his longtime girlfriend Cherry His engagement comes after a roller‑
Seaborn. coaster year.
He made the announcement via social His album "÷" ("Divide") ‑‑ which also
media, reports CNN. brought him to India ‑‑ was the most popu‑
"Got myself a fiancé just before new lar album on streaming services for 2017,
year. We are very happy and in love, and according to Nielsen data.
our cats are chuffed as well," Sheeran However, his appearance on the popular
wrote on Instagram. TV drama "Game of Thrones" was not wel‑
Last year, Sheeran had revealed he has comed by many fans, leading Sheeran to
known Seaborn since they were children temporarily delete his Twitter account
but they did not start dating until he invit‑ amid the criticism.
I chase my characters, not
actors: Abhishek Kapoor
A
bhishek Kapoor successfully
launched Farhan Akhtar and
Sushant Singh Rajput as film actors.
The director, whose next movie "Kedarnath"
will mark Sara Ali Khan's debut, says he
chases his characters instead of actors.
"Newcomers have an infectious energy
and unpredictability and give the audience
a surprise. Having said that, it's not that I
mind working with established actors pro‑
vided they are as excited about portraying
the characters that I would like to see
brought to life. I can only chase my charac‑
ters, not my actors. Sometimes it is not pos‑
sible to do both," Kapoor said.
Sara is the daughter of actor Saif Ali Khan
Director Abhishek Kapoor has
and Amrita Singh, and her debut is much‑ helmed movies like ʻRock On!!ʼ
awaited with "Kedarnath", a love story set and ʻKai Po Cheʼ in past.
against the holy temple town of Kedarnath.
Often one to refrain from being spotted Having directed "Rock On!!", "Kai Po Che"
with a particular camp, Kapoor said: "When and "Fitoor" earlier, Kapoor is now looking
I was growing up, my mother's brother forward to "Kedarnath".
Jeetendra was a major Hindi movie star, The flash floods of Kedarnath left an
and we do know a lot of people from the indelible impact on Kapoor.
movie business. But as with everyone, the "The incident of the floods in 2013 also
decision to be in films and my journey in could not leave my mind, due to the stories
film was my own, and has been a fairly that came out of it ‑‑ devastating and
challenging one too. remarkable in equal measure. I had to go
"Knowing people is not an automatic all‑ ahead and develop a film set against that
access pass to success. Very early on, I saw backdrop. I believe it is one of the most
a lot of failure, so any sense of entitlement I important stories I can tell for modern
may have had about my place in the busi‑ India," Kapoor said, without divulging any‑
ness, was quickly knocked out of me." thing more on the movie.
 18 Jan 27-Feb 2, 2018 FAITH TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Tharoorʼs new book is self‑discovery

of a ʻbelieving Hinduʼ
By Saket Suman gest that he is not a proud Hindu. fraction, a part of Hindutva.” The
“My Hinduism was a lived faith; it book then moves quickly to the

S
hashi Tharoorʼs new book
on Hinduism has arrived
when there is an upsurge
in fringe elements that propagate
the ideology of Hindutva. The
book, therefore, was being thought
of as his response to Hindutva.
However, limiting “Why I am a
Hindu” to the debate between
Hinduism and Hindutva will be an
injustice to this riveting offering.
At the outset, it is a laymanʼs
account of his journey of discover‑
ing the “extraordinary wisdom and
virtues of the faith” that Tharoor,
61, has practiced all his life. In the
Authorʼs Note, the Congress leader
and author clarifies that he is nei‑
ther a Sanskritist nor a scholar of
Hinduism. His exposition travels
between personal accounts and his
understanding of the religious
scriptures as well as the values
propagated by the likes of Swami
Vivekananda, Ramakrishna
8 Shashi Tharoor is brutal in his criticism of the saffron brigade.
Paramahamsa whom he refers to
as the “Great Souls of Hinduism”.
The book is divided into three
sections. The first titled “My
Hinduism” answers the question
raised by the title of the book:
Why I Am A Hindu? The liberal
intellectual that Tharoor is, he
confides that he is Hindu “because
I was born one”. Indeed, he says,
religion is selected for most people
at birth, “by the accident of geog‑
raphy and their parentsʼ cultural
moorings”. But this is not to sug‑
was a Hinduism of experience and
upbringing, a Hinduism of obser‑
vation and conversation, not one
anchored in deep religious study,”
he points out. He goes on to
describe reasons why he is happy
to describe himself as a “believing
Hindu”, before going on to present
a fair perspective on the values
propagated by the “Great Souls of
Hinduism.”
In the 2nd section, titled
“Political Hinduism”, he gets to
Hindutva, the burning issue in
India, clearly distinguishing it
from Hinduism. Hinduism is like
the banyan tree, in whose shade, “a
great variety of flora and fauna,
thought and action, flourishes”.
From here, he moves to the RSS,
VHP and its ideologues like
Savarkar and Golwalkar, explain‑
ing their perspectives on Hindutva
like Savarkarʼs assertion:
“Hinduism is only a derivative, a
advent of Deen Dayal Upadhyaya,
Jan Sangh and BJP, the ruling
party today.
Tharoor then decodes the
philosophies of Hindutva ̶ how
its ideologues propagated it. He
does not criticize them or counter
their views. It is only in the latter
part of the book that he unleashes
a storm of arguments on “the poli‑
tics of division” that has led to “a
travesty of Hinduism”. Next, the
author elaborates on the uses and
abuses of Hindu culture and histo‑
ry in the contemporary scenario,
resulting from “the politics of divi‑
sion”. The last section of the book,
“Taking Back Hinduism” begins
with a reference to President
Obamaʼs speech that “India will
succeed so long as it is not split
along the lines of religious faiths.”
Tharoor is brutal in his criticism of
the saffron brigade yet presents
their views.

Since you asked, Paresh Bhai, my faith is of the brand that every human should
possess and many do, the brand that promotes justice, equality and freedom.
By Aleya Jung of millions of Muslims who are not terror‑

P
aresh Bhai looks at me quizzically; I
have close cropped hair, earrings, a
tattoo of a dragon on my forearm,
So what ists, not because I consider myself a Muslim,
but because I am human. I did not begin to
hate white Caucasians because of the letter
bomber and I didnʼt because of Timothy

ʻcashteʼ
dark brown complexion, minimal accent and McVeigh (Oklahoma bomber). I didnʼt even
I am reasonably well built. I correctly develop a dislike for them when a traffic
assume he cannot place me. “You from altercation led to this big white male calling
India” he inquires while nodding his head me “Fair skinned N word”.

from side to side, I nod in an affirmative.
“From where, Dilli”?
“Bombay”.
“What cashte?” he shoots through gutka
infested teeth.
“No caste”, I reply
“Meanz?”, again quizzically, in utter disbe‑
lief, stupefied!
“Well, I have a Muslim background,” I say
resignedly.
Paresh Bhaiʼs fears are allayed.
“Itʼs ok to be Mohammedan” he signs off.
Amongst Indians it is unheard of not hav‑
ing as they say “cashte”. I know what they
mean, they mean to ask what religion, but
are used to saying caste due to its existence
that goes back many centuries. I believe my
father had a big row with the authorities at
the time of my school admission‑ he was not
allowed to leave the caste section blank.
But my question to myself and I struggle
with this a bit, the question is ‑ why do I not
have a “caste”? Is it because that was not the
way I was brought up? But then my sister
follows the Christian belief.
My late father went back to his given
Muslim name a few years before he passed
On. He had acquired an Urdu nom de plume
and stuck with it for over 50 years. He was
an atheist (but called out to Allah when in
pain). Is my detraction from this faith in
response to how Muslims are viewed today?
am I?
My marriage to a Hindu girl maybe?
Have I abandoned my faith due to embar‑
rassment, fright? Have I become an apolo‑
gist? An auto‑defense before someone hits
me with a slur?
I have thought about this long and hard: I
believe none of my arguments for not fol‑
lowing a particular faith are valid. But still,
when someone asks me what my faith is, or
a practicing Muslim raises an eyebrow when
I relish pork (they donʼt mind me drinking), I
hesitate and even as I am answering their
question a doubt crosses my mind, am I
telling them the truth when I claim I have no
faith?
My grandfather left home at the age of 14
‑‑ he travelled from Avadh to Deccan (now
Hyderabad, in Telangana) studying in a
Madrassa along the way, where he learned
sciences, languages and yes a bit of religion
too, much like many decades later I went to
a school run by Catholic priests. Grandpa
was known as a Hindustani in Hyderabad.
Through sheer will in educating himself, the
already brilliant young Hosh found a job at
the palace, and rose to become one of the
chief advisors to the Nizam of Hyderabad.
He was even conferred with a title, that of
Jung (becoming Syed Hosh Yar Jung), a title
I conveniently transferred on to myself like
a few of my family members have done too.
ʻPolice actionʼ in Hyderabad in 1948
resulted in hundreds of thousands dead, and
the state became a part of India. Hosh was
invited to move to Pakistan and offered the
post of the minister of education. He
refused. His brother Sahil did move to
Pakistan.
Thankfully I was born in an independent
India, to a Rajput mother, whose family had
converted to Christianity only 75 or so
years before her birth. They were persecut‑
ed by the Hindus and fled from some place
in Rajasthan to a small town in Maharashtra.
So what is faith? Which faith is better? Is
there something called better faith? Am I
going straight to hell for eating pork and
drinking? If I am, isnʼt it between God and
me? How is my drinking affecting society?
People do worse and they donʼt evendrink.
Besides there is no comparison, I donʼt think
I commit a sin, I enjoy my drink.
But I do feel disturbed with whatʼs in the
news these days and I do rise to the defense
I am comfortable here in the United States,
despite the fact that redlining exists in my
profession as a realtor and ghettos are cre‑
ated; despite the high percentage of perse‑
cutions of the African American male,
despite women not getting paid as much as
men. It bothers me, but people like me can
never hate… so Paresh Bhai, that is my faith.
Yes Paresh Bhai, I do have a faith and my
faith is of the brand that every human
should possess and many do, the brand that
promotes justice, equality and freedom.
It sounds clichéd, but this is the only way
forward, if you have a religion you follow…
good for you, it does not make you better,
nor does my outlook make me better. Faith
is a very small part of the whole, oneʼs
actions determine oneʼs faith, not the other
way around. When my grandfather refused
to move to Pakistan, that action illustrated
his faith, his conviction, not the fact that he
was a somewhat devout Muslim.
No, I donʼt have a caste, nor a religion. I
want people to stop asking each other these
questions, and it can never be a good con‑
versation starter.
Belief, faith, religion is sacred and person‑
al, take what you may out of it ‑ and Paresh
Bhai, I sense you have, like I, taken some‑
thing good out of it, like millions do.
Aleya Jung frequently writes for The
South Asian Times.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info DIASPORA Jan 27-Feb 2, 2018 19

Sculptor Anish Kapoor awards $1

Abandoned at birth, Indian grows
up to become Swiss Parliamentarian
New Delhi: Within a week of
his birth in 1970, Niklaus‑
Samuel Gugger was aban‑
doned by his parents at a
hospital in Karnataka's
Udupi. Fortunes turned
around for the infant, when a
Swiss couple, then residing in
Kerala adopted him and
moved to their home country.
Now, 48 years later, Niklaus‑
Samuel Gugger has become
the first Person of Indian
Origin to be elected to the
Swiss parliament.
Born in CSI Lombard Niklaus‑Samuel Gugger
Memorial Hospital, run by
(Image courtesy: Twitter)
Basel Mission, in Karnataka's
Udupi town, on May 1, 1970, Niklaus was adopted
by a Swiss couple,Fritz and Elizbeth.
Niklaus's new parents took him to Kerala when he
was just 15 days old and they lived there for around both India and Switzerland. He hopes to come down
four years before moving to their native place in
Switzerland.
There, Niklaus had to drive trucks and work as a
gardener as his adoptive parents were not rich
enough to finance his higher studies.
Talking to news agency IANS at the first Person of
Indian Origin‑Parliamentarian Conference in New
Delhi last week, Niklaus said:
"My mother, Anasuiya, hand‑
ed me over to Dr. ED
Pflugfelder ‑‑ now deceased ‑‑
just after my birth, requesting
him to give me to a couple
who could rear me in a better
way and help me make a
good career."
Dr Pflugfelder, in turn, con‑
tacted the Gugger couple and
the rest, as they say, is histo‑
ry.Niklaus, better known as
Nik, was among 143 People
of Indian Origin parliamen‑
tarians from 24 countries
who took part in the confer‑
ence organised by the
Ministry of External Affairs to engage the diaspora
as part of its diplomatic outreach.
Niklaus feels that he has imbibed the culture of
to India in the near future to discuss his ideas on
start‑ups in collaboration with the Swiss and the
Indian governments.
Niklaus thanked his biological mother for his suc‑
cess and said he named his daughter Anasuia to
keep alive her memory because he has not been
able to track her down.
Million 'Jewish Nobel' prize to refugees
London: British‑Indian sculptor
Anish Kapoor donated $1 million to
five charities working with refugees
worldwide on Wednesday, in a bid
to alleviate a record‑breaking global
displacement crisis.
Kapoor, who was born to an
Indian father and Iraqi Jewish
mother, won the Genesis Prize ‑
dubbed the Jewish Nobel ‑ last year,
for his commitment to Jewish val‑
ues.
"Like many Jews, I do not have to
go far back in my family history to
find people who were refugees," he
said in a statement.
Anish Kapoor
"Directing Genesis Prize funds to
(Image courtesy: thejc.com)
this cause is a way of helping peo‑
ple who, like my forebears not too inspiring the next generation of
long before them, are fleeing perse‑ Jews.
cution." One of Kapoor's grantees is the
Kapoor, who lived in Israel briefly International Rescue Committee,
before settling in Britain in the which is working with refugees in
1970s, won the Turner Prize in Uganda ‑ home to more than 1 mil‑
1991 and created a Holocaust lion people who have fled war in
memorial for London's Liberal South Sudan ‑ and with stateless
Jewish Synagogue. Rohingya in Myanmar.
Winners of the Genesis Prize, He is also providing food for
which is granted by the Israeli gov‑ refugees in Greece and France and
ernment, award $1 million to chari‑ medical care for Syrian refugees.
ties of their choice, with the aim of (Source: Thomson Reuters)

Indian‑origin MP is Canada lawmaker behind 1984 genocide Retail king Yusuffali

first female Muslim
minister to address
British Parliament
London: Nus Ghani, a Indian‑origin parlia‑
mentarian in the UK, became the first female
Muslim minister to speak from the British
Parliament dispatch box.
Ghani, born in Birmingham to parents who
migrated from Pakistan‑occupied Kashmir,
was cheered by her colleagues as she
addressed the House of Commons as a junior
minister in the Department for Transport.
"Made my debut as @transportgovuk
Minister and made a bit of history as the first
female Muslim Minister to speak from the
House of Commons dispatch box," she tweet‑
ed soon after her first Commons outing in
her new role.
Dispatch box is the designated place where
ministers stand and speak from in the
Commons.
The 45‑year‑old was appointed
Parliamentary Under‑Secretary at the
Department for Transport by British Prime
Minister Theresa May as part of her New
Year reshuffle. The Conservative Party MP
from Wealden was also given the assistant
government whip in the reshuffle to oversee
party discipline.
MA acquires iconic
motion is Ontario's first Sikh woman minister Scottish hotel in a
Toronto: Harinder Malhi, the Indo‑ 120‑million‑dollar deal
Canadian member of the Ontario provincial
London: Leading NRI businessman Yusuffali
parliament and the mover of the 1984
MA from UAE has acquired an iconic Scottish
genocide motion in the House last April, has
hotel based in Edinburgh in a 120‑million‑
been given a cabinet berth in the Ontario
dollar deal clinched by Twenty14 Holdings
cabinet, making her the first‑ever Sikh cabi‑
(T14H), the hospitality investment arm of his
net minister in the Canadian province.
Abu Dhabi headquartered Lulu Group
The 38‑year‑old daughter of Canada's first
International. The Caledonian, a grand
turbaned MP Gurbax Singh Malhi was
Edwardian hotel overlooking Edinburgh
sworn in as Minister of the Status of
Castle, joins his portfolio of 650‑million‑dollar
Women.
worth of luxury properties across the UK, the
The decision by Premier Kathleen Wynne
Middle East and India. The T14H announced
to elevate Malhi seems to have been taken
plans to invest 28 million dollars for the
with an eye to Sikh votes as Ontario goes to
Harinder Malhi expansion and enhancement of the historic
the polls in June. (Image courtesy: Twitter) hotel under its ownership, while retaining its
Malhi represents the Punjabi‑dominated
drift to the New Democratic Party (NDP) heritage and distinctive architecture. "We are
'riding' (or constituency) of Brampton‑
which has just elected Jagmeet Singh as its excited to add The Caledonian to the portfolio
Springdale in the Ontario assembly, whose
national leader. After her genocide resolu‑ of Twenty14 Holdings. With more than 100
members are called MPPs or members of
tion, many in the Sikh community view her years of history, The Caledonian brings with it
provincial parliament.
as the champion of the cause in the commu‑ a rich heritage, character and unique opu‑
She joins another Indo‑Canadian woman
nity. Her party may also benefit from her lence," said Adeeb Ahamed, managing direc‑
minister Dipika Damerla in the Ontario cabi‑
father and former MP's huge hold over Sikh tor of T14H. Ahamed added that the company
net.
voters. plans to honor the "Scottish landmark", while
Interestingly, her elevation to the cabinet
Interestingly, as a member of the Ontario adding to the experience the hotel already
comes when two senior Sikh MPPs Amrit
assembly, Jagmeet Singh too had introduced offers. Among some of the plans for the site,
Mangat and Vic Dhillon have been ignored.
a similar motion on the anti‑Sikh riots, but the T14H intends to engage local craftsmen
It is being speculated that because of her
his motion failed. He was also denied a visa to work on the hotel's historic Caledonian
1984 genocide motion, Malhi can help her
to India in 2013. suites.
Liberal Party retain Sikhs votes which may
 20 Jan 27-Feb 2, 2018
18 killed in Kabul luxury hotel attack
Kabul: Terrorists stormed the
upscale Intercontinental Hotel
here, triggering heavy fighting
with security forces that ended on
Jan 21 leaving 18 persons includ‑
ing all four attackers dead, author‑
ities said.
Of the 18 killed, 14 are foreign
nationals, a spokesman of the
Afghan Interior Ministry said,
Xinhua reported.
Gunmen burst into the heavily
guarded hotel on Jan 20, located
atop a hill in the west of the
Afghan capital.
"The attack has ended complete‑
ly after all the assailants were
eliminated," the spokesperson
said.
Security forces rescued 151
guests, including 41 foreigners,
and hotel staff, the Interior
Ministry told the media.
"All hotel rooms have been
cleared and searched one by one.
The hotel is completely cleared
and the operation has ended. None
of the terrorists remain (alive) in
the hotel," an official said.
The hotel, which was the target
‘India should not comment on
Chinese construction in Doklam’
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang.
Beijing: China said Doklam is
Chinese territory and India has
no business to comment if it
builds infrastructure in the
region.
Some satellite images purport‑
edly show massive infrastruc‑
ture build‑up in Doklam by
China, as close as 81 meters to
the point of face‑off between
Indian and Chinese troops in the
disputed plateau last year.
In India, the Congress party
has accused the Modi govern‑
ment of snoozing while China
kept building infrastructure in
Doklam even after the resolution
of military stand‑off last year.
"I don't know who offers such
kind of photos. I don't know the
detailed information," Chinese
Foreign Ministry spokesperson
Lu Kang said when asked about
the images. "You must be quite
The hotel was the target of a similar attack in June 2011.
of a similar attack in June 2011
that left 21 dead including nine
attackers, caters to wealthy
Afghans and foreigners, and often
hosts private parties and official
clear. Donglong (Doklam) always
belongs to China and is always
under China's effective jurisdic‑
tion. There is no dispute in this
regard," Lu said.
"China is exercising its sover‑
eignty in its own territory. It's
legitimate and justified. Just as
China will not make comments
about Indian construction of
infrastructure on India's territo‑
ry, we hope other countries will
not make comment on China's
construction of infrastructure on
its territory," Lu said.
Lu said the Chinese construc‑
tion in Doklam was done to
patrol the border and protect
the lives of its troops and resi‑
dents.
India and Chinese troops were
locked in a 73‑day stand‑off at
Doklam, which is claimed by
Bhutan.
SUBCONTINENT
events such as press briefings,
seminars and conferences.
No group has claimed responsi‑
bility for the attack.
Earlier this month, 11 people,
HAFIZ SAEED SHOULD BE
PROSECUTED: US
Washington: The US has said that
Jamaat‑ud‑Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz
Saeed, the mastermind of the
Mumbai terror attack, should be
prosecuted to the "fullest extent of
the law" as Washington regards him
as a terrorist.
Washington has sent a message to
Islamabad to act against Saeed, said
US State Department spokesperson
Heather Nauert.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid
Khaqan Abbasi had earlier decided
not to prosecute Saeed, referring to
him as "Sahib" in an interview to
Geo News earlier this week. He said
there was no case against him in
Pakistan.
Nauert, reacting to Abbasi's
remarks, said: "We regard him as a
terrorist, a part of a foreign terrorist
Maryam Nawaz to contest
Pak General Elections
Islamabad: Maryam Nawaz, the
daughter of Pakistan's former Prime
Minister Nawaz Sharif, has decided
to take part in the next General
Elections, a leading daily reported.
Maryam Nawaz, 44, is set to con‑
test the election from the NA‑120
constituency in Lahore from where
her father was elected in the 2013
polls, the Dawn newspaper reported,
citing a source from the ruling
Pakistan Muslim League‑Nawaz
party. She may also campaign for the
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
including five policemen, were
killed and 25 were wounded after
a suicide bomber detonated explo‑
sives near security forces guard‑
ing a demonstration in Kabul.
Pak released JuD chief Hafiz Saeed
from house arrest in November.
organization. He was the master‑
mind, we believe, of the 2008
Mumbai attack which killed many
people, including Americans as well.
"We have made our points and our
concerns to the Pakistani govern‑
provincial assembly from the PP‑
140 seat, the source told the daily.
Maryam Nawaz, however, has yet to
confirm or deny the reports of her
running in the upcoming elections.
The former Premier's daughter has
been in the spotlight facing corrup‑
tion cases since the Panama Papers
were released in April 2016.
Since Sharif's ouster for being "dis‑
honest", Maryam Nawaz took a more
active and visible role in party
politics.
US-led coalition
fails to make
Afghanistan
safer: Iran
Tehran: Iran's deputy envoy to
the UN has said the US‑led mili‑
tary coalition had failed to make
Afghanistan a safer nation,
Tasnim news agency reported.
The security in Afghanistan has
continued to deteriorate since
the US invasion in 2001, Eshaq
Al‑e‑Habib was quoted as saying.
More than a decade after the
US‑led military invasion,
Afghanistan, the region and the
world are not any safer, he said.
"Building regional partnerships
and cooperation, not only in
Afghanistan and Central Asia
but in all regions around the
world, serve as the most appro‑
priate model to reinforce the
inseparable nexus between
security and development," he
stressed.
ment very clear. We believe that this
individual should be prosecuted.
"The Pakistani government
released him from house arrest not
that long ago. We believe he should
be prosecuted to the fullest extent
of the law. He is listed by the UN
Security Council 1267, the Al Qaeda
Sanctions Committee for targeted
sanctions due to his affiliation with
Lashkar‑e Taiba," she said.
The White House has already clar‑
ified that there would be repercus‑
sions for US‑Pakistan relations
unless Islamabad takes action to
detain and charge Saeed.
Pakistani authorities released
Saeed from house arrest in
November due to lack of evidence,
much to the US administration's
frustration.
Maryam Nawaz has
been in the spotlight
facing corruption cases.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info INTERNATIONAL Jan 27-Feb 2, 2018 21

US needs to rebuild trust on Turkey begins military

two‑state solution: Jordan operation in Syria
Amman: King Abdullah II of Jordan has said
the US needs to rebuild trust to achieve the
two‑state solution that entails creating an
independent Palestinian state with East
Jerusalem as its capital.
The King made the remarks at a meeting
with visiting US Vice President Mike Pence,
during which the US official said his country
was committed to the two‑state solution if it is
agreed by both Israel and the Palestinians,
Xinhua news agency reported.
The King said the Palestinian‑Israeli conflict
is a key factor that caused instability in the
region, adding that he repeatedly underlined
his deep concern about Jerusalem and that it
should be resolved via direct talks.
He said Jerusalem is as dear to the Muslims
and Christians as it is to the Jews and it is the
key to stability in the region, expressing hope
that the US would find the right path to move
forward in such difficult conditions.
The King said Jordan is intensifying its
efforts to resolve the Palestinian issue to
reach a last and just solution, stressing the
importance of the partnership between
Jordan and the US to achieve stability and
peace and combat terrorism.
Pence said he was asked by US President
Donald Trump to visit Jordan to discuss sever‑
al issues that are of concern to the region and
Ankara: Turkish Foreign Ministry
has informed the ambassadors of
Iran, Russia and the US in Ankara
about a military operation launched
by Turkey's army in Afrin in Syria, a
ministry official said.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut
Cavusoglu also held a phone conver‑
sation with US counterpart Rex
Tillerson in the wake of the
announcement of the air strikes by
Turkish Air forces, at Washington's
request, the official told Xinhua
news agency on the condition of
anonymity. Turkish President Recep
King Abdullah II of Jordan is known
to be a staunch US ally.
the two countries.
He voiced appreciation for Jordan's role and
courage in fighting terrorism including the
Islamic State (IS), adding that his country will
continue to work with Jordan to uproot IS,
underlining the need for continued coordina‑
tion on Syria.
Tayyip Erdogan announced that the
military operation in Syria's Afrin
has "actively" started.
Turkey is determined to ensure its
national security and to clear its bor‑
ders of the People's Protection Units
(YPG), which is considered by
Ankara as the Syrian affiliate of the
Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
Turkish war jets have been hitting
the YPG positions in Afrin on
Saturday after days of shelling from
the border.
The Turkish Army stated that the
operation is named "Olive Branch".
Turkish
Foreign
Minister
Mevlut
Cavusoglu.

N Korea accuses US of Russian FM calls for

plotting another Korean War
North Korean leader Kim Jong‑un (2nd R) claps after a missile test (file photo).
Pyongyang: North Korea has accused the
US of plotting to provoke another
Korean War by convening a foreign min‑
isters' meeting in Vancouver, Canada.
"The US, in collusion with Canada, cre‑
ated the scene of war simulation by sum‑
moning the foreign ministers' meeting of
the countries participated in the Korean
War," Xinhua quoted an official from the
North Koreas's Foreign Ministry as say‑
ing.
Some 20 countries, mostly those which
joined the US in its aggression war
against North Korea in 1950s, partici‑
pated in the meeting on January 15‑16.
Japan and South Korea also took part in
it. The official said US Secretary of State
Rex Tillerson "openly trumpeted" at the
meeting that the US and its allies would
intensify the pressure campaign against
the North Korea by limiting export of oil
and industrial products, strengthening
naval control and expelling North
Korean workers abroad until it stops its
nuclear program.
"The meeting speaks to the fact that
the US is willing to spark a new war in
the Korean Peninsula at any cost
although it talks about dialogue," he
added.
The official said while the ongoing
inter‑Korean peace efforts have won
broad support at home and abroad,
countries which attended the unlawful
and ambiguous meeting should consider
the potential consequences of further
sanctions.
North Korea had earlier warned that
the US was preparing to ignite another
war crisis during the Pyongyang Winter
Olympics by newly deploying another
nuclear carrier, Stennis, in the West
Pacific, apart from sending special oper‑
ation forces, electronic planes and other
war machines to South Korea during the
games.
preservation of Iran nuclear deal
United Nations: Russian Foreign Minister
Sergey Lavrov has said preserving the
international agreement on Iran's nuclear
program was important, as failure of the
deal would send "an alarming message for
the entire international security architec‑
ture".
Speaking at the Security Council, Lavrov
said the overwhelming majority of the
international community recognizes that
the 2015 agreement between Iran and the
six world powers of Britain, China, France,
Russia, the US plus Germany is making a
tangible contribution to strengthening the
nuclear non‑proliferation regime and to the
maintenance of international peace and
security, Xinhua reported.
"We cannot for the benefit of political
agendas of certain countries abandon a
genuine achievement of international diplo‑
macy," he said.
"The failure of JCPOA, especially as a
result of one of the parties of the P5+1,
would be an alarming message for the
entire international security architecture,
including the prospects for dealing with the
nuclear problem on the Korean Peninsula,"
said Lavrov.
JCPOA (The Joint Comprehensive Plan of
Action) refers to the Iran nuclear deal that
was signed in July 2015.
Lavrov was clearly referring to threats
from Washington that it might pull out of
the deal unless it is to be "fixed."
US President Donald Trump waived
nuclear sanctions against Iran but warned
that he would not do it again unless the
deal is modified.
Tehran has said it will not renegotiate the
deal, under which Iran agreed to limit its
nuclear program in exchange for the lifting
of international sanctions.
Russian
Foreign
Minister
Sergey Lavrov
was speaking
at the UNSC.
 22 Jan 27-Feb 2, 2018 BUSINESS TheSouthAsianTimes.info

India made member of Australia Group

New Delhi: After the Wassenaar
Arrangement and the Missile
Technolog y Control Reg ime
(MTCR), India notched up another
success as it was made a member
of the Australia Group, the third of
the four key global export control
regimes that will help pave the
way for entry into the Nuclear
Suppliers' Group.
India became the 43rd member
of the Australia Group, an infor‑
mal forum of countries which
seeks to ensure that exports do
not contribute to the development
of chemical or biological weapons.
"I am happy to announce that
India has joined the Australia
Group on January 19, 2018, fol‑
lowing the completion of internal
pro cedures for joining this
group," External Af fairs Ministry
spokesperson Raveesh Kumar
said in his weekly media briefing
here.
"The Australia Group decided to
admit India as the Group's 43rd
India's membership at the June
26‑30, 2017, Australia Group
Plenary, after which consensus
was reached intersessionally." and
then India reaffirmed its intention
to join the Group.
"In warmly welcoming India to
the Group, the other Australia
Group members recognized the
government of India's commit‑
ment to bring India's export con‑
trol system into alignment with
the Australia Group and India's
determination to contribute to the
global effort to prevent the prolif‑
India became the 43rd member of the Australia Group, announced
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar. eration of CBW in the security
interests of all members of the
participant through a consensus facilitating India's accession to the international community," it stat‑
decision. India would like to thank Group. ed.
each of the Australia Group partic‑ "India's entry into the Group "With its admission into the
ipants for their support for India's would be mutually beneficial and Australia Group, India has demon‑
membership," he said. further contribute to international strated the will to implement rig‑
Kumar also expressed New security and non‑proliferation orous controls of high standards
De lhi's appreciat ion for objectives," he said. in international trade, and its
Ambassador Jane Hardy of In a separate statement, the capacity to adapt its national reg‑
Australia, former chair of the Australia Group said "there was ulatory system to meet the neces‑
Australia Group, for her role in very strong support expressed for sities of its expanding economy."
The statement added that India
was "also aware of the need to
constantly adapt its export con‑
trols in the face of rapidly evolv‑
ing scientific and technological
challenges, and in this regard,
af firmed its readiness to act in
close cooperation with all mem‑
bers towards the furtherance of
Australia Group objectives".
T his is the third of the four
export control regimes that India
has joined since 2017.
China has been opposing India's
bid to become member of the
NSG, on the ground that for a
country to join the 48‑nation bloc,
it has to be a signatory to the
Nuclear Non‑Proliferation Treaty
(NPT). Asked if membership of the
Australia Group will help India's
ef forts to join the NSG, Kumar
said that "it helps credentials for
NSG". It may be noted that China
is not a member of any of the
other three regimes to which
India has been admitted.

TRAI recommends RELIANCE JIO POSTS NET

in‑flight mobile calls,
Internet services
PROFIT OF RS 504 CRORE
Mumbai: Reliance Jio, subsidiary
of Reliance Industries Limited
New Delhi: T he
(RIL) posted net profit of Rs 504
Indian telecom regu‑
crore for the third quarter of the
lator recommended
current fiscal, a company state‑
that both Internet
ment said here. Operational rev‑
access and mobile
enue for the third quarter was Rs
phone calls should be
6879 crore.
permitted on board
The company had posted a loss
aircraft in Indian air‑
of Rs 271 crore during the sec‑
space.
ond quarter in 2017‑18.
"The operation of
"I would like to thank all our
mobile communica‑
customers for partnering with us
t ion on aircraft The company had posted a loss of Rs 271 crore during
in this revolut ion which has the second quarter in 2017‑18.
(MCA) services
made India a global digital pow‑
should be permitted
Beyond 3,000 meters, phone calls erhouse. I congratulate all our Ambani, Chairman and strong financial performance," he
with minimum height can be made or received and employees and partners for the Managing Director of RIL. added.
restriction of 3,000 Internet services can be accessed, said the
strong performance. Our com‑ "Jio's strong financial result Jio's subscriber base as on
meters in Indian air‑ Indian telecom regulator. mitment is to keep pushing re flects the fundamental December 31, 2017 was 160.1
space," the Telecom
newer innovative products which strength of the business, signifi‑ million, the company said. The
Regulatory Authority of India sultations and open house dis‑
cussions on the issue. would radically transform cus‑ cant efficiencies and right strate‑ company is getting average rev‑
(TRAI) said.
T he sector regulator said tomer lives and generate huge gic initiatives. Jio has demon‑ enue per user of rs 154 per
T his means beyond 3,000
societal value," said Mukesh D. strated that it can sustain its month, the statement added.
meters phone calls can be made Internet services through Wi‑Fi
or received and Internet services onboard should be made avail‑
can be accessed. T he heig ht able when electronic devices are
restriction is placed to avoided permitted to be used only in
Gross NPA may rise to Rs 9.5
accessing the terrestrial mobile flight/airplane mode.
networks. "It is good set of recommenda‑
The TRAI said to promote the tions. It will help companies who
lakh crore by March
adoption of in‑flight connectivity, want to take part i" it," Mahesh New Delhi: Gross non‑performing which are an important stakehold‑ The study added that with banks
IFC service providers should be Uppal, CEO of telecom consultan‑ assets (NPA) in Indian banks are er in the NPA resolution process," expected to make higher provi‑
allowed to be set up at a flat cy firm Com First told IANS. expected to rise to Rs 9.5 lakh ASSOCHAM said in a statement sioning over and above the provi‑
annual token license fee of Re 1. "In‑flig ht connect ivity w ill crore by March, from Rs 8 lakh quoting the study. sions made for stressed assets,
The framework recommended expand significantly by 2018. It crore in March last year, said a It, however, said that owing to they may sell the assets at lower
for IFC services in Indian air‑ will be a wonderful service for ASSOCHAM‑Crisil joint study. capital constraints, growth of ARCs discounts, thus increasing the cap‑
space should be made applicable the traveler as it will help them Stressed assets in March 2018 is expected to come down signifi‑ ital requirement.
to all types of aircrafts such as to use their time productively are expected to be at Rs 11.5 lakh cantly. The study also said that effective
commercial airlines, business jets and be in touch with their near crore, the report titled "ARCs head‑ "While growth is expected to fall implementation of the Insolvency
and executive aircrafts, it said. and dear ones. But the downside ed for a structural shift," said. to around 12 per cent until June and Bankruptcy Code would be a
TRAI said it had arrived at the could be the noise levels in flight "High level of stressed assets in 2019, however the AUM (assets remedy to the challenge of pro‑
recommendation after analyzing could increase," said Hemant the banking system provides enor‑ under management) are expected longed litigation and it can help
the comments received from con‑ Joshi, Partner, Deloitte India. mous opportunity size for asset to reach Rs 1 lakh crore, and that improve the recovery rate of
reconstruction companies (ARCs) is fairly sizeable." stressed assets' industry further.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info SPORTS Jan 27-Feb 2, 2018 23

Virat Kohli grabs top ICC awards

Dubai: India skipper Virat Kohli
swept the International Cricket
Council (ICC) annual awards win‑
ning the prestigious Sir Garfield
Sobers Trophy for being the
World Cricketer of the Year
2017 as also being named ICC
ODI Cricketer of the Year 2017
and the captain of both ICC Test
and ODI teams.
On the other hand, Kohli's
Australian counterpart Steve
Smith bagged the honor of being
the Test Cricketer of the Year.
The 28‑year‑old Smith posted six
centuries in just 11 Tests in
2017; three on Australia's tour of
India and three in the recently‑
completed 4‑0 Ashes triumph
over England.
Moments after the awards
were announced, an elated Kohli
said winning the Sir Garfield
Sobers Trophy felt more special
after his teammate Ravichandran
Ashwin bagged it last year.
It is the second time Kohli has
been named as the ODI Cricketer
of the Year after bagging the
India skipper
Virat Kohli.
same honor in 2012 when he
was 24 years old.
"It means a lot to win the Sir
Garfield Sobers Trophy for
becoming the ICC Cricketer of
the Year 2017 and also the ICC
ODI Player of the Year," the Delhi
batsman told ICC's website.
"I won that back in 2012 also
but it's the first time winning the
Garfield Sobers Trophy, and it's a
huge honor for me.
It's probably the biggest of all
in world cricket and two Indians
getting it back‑to‑back makes it
more special.
"Last time it was Ash
(Ravichandran Ashwin) and this
time I'm getting it, so I'm really
really honored and I'd like to
thank the ICC for recognizing all
the hard work that we all put in
for our respective sides and I
want to congratulate all the
other winners also," he added.
The award, which was decided
for performance based on the
period between September 21,
2016 to December 31, 2017, the
Indian skipper scored 2,203 Test
runs at an average of 77.80.
Kohli also scored eight centuries
in the time period in the longest
format, including five double
hundreds.
In ODIs, Kohli hammered 1,818
ODI runs at an average of 82.63
including seven centuries, and
299 T20I runs at a strike rate of
153. With Kohli as skipper, India
went on to register nine consecu‑
tive series win in the longest for‑
mat.
Apart from Kohli, who was
named as the captain for the ODI
Team of the year, Rohit Sharma,
who smashed a double ton
against Sri Lanka in December,
becoming the only batsman in
the world to have three double‑
centuries in the format, was also
included in the squad.
The only other Indian apart
from the two, who made it to the
team was seamer Jasprit Bumrah,
who took 56 wickets in 31
matches at an average of 22.73
during 2017.
Three Indians made it to the
2017 Test team of the year ‑‑
Ravichandran Ashwin,
Cheteshwar Pujara and Kohli,
who was also named as the cap‑
tain for the side.

India's men's doubles campaign S. Africa outsmart India

ends at Australian Open
Melbourne: India's prospects in men's dou‑
bles competition of the ongoing Australian
Open ended after Rohan Bopanna and Divij
Sharan lost their respective third round
matches here. Playing with their respective
partners, Sharan and Bopanna pushed the
matches to third set but weren't able to
extend their stay in the draw. On Sunday,
Leander Paes and Purav Raja had bowed out
in straight sets. Pairing with Frenchman
Edouard Roger‑Vasselin, Bopanna lost to
Oliver Marach of Austria and Croatia's Mate
Pavic 4‑6, 7‑6, (7‑5) 3‑6 at Melbourne Park.
The contest lasted a little over two hours
and saw the Indo‑French combo convert one
out of two break point chances, while their
opponents converted three out of 12 break
points. Bopanna and Roger‑Vasselin had two
aces compared to their opponents' seven.
Earlier in the day, Sharan and his partner
Rajeev Ram from the US suffered a 6‑3, 6‑7
(4), 4‑6 defeat at the hands of top seeds
Lukasz Kubot of Poland and Brazil's world
number one Marcelo Melo.
The contest lasted two hours and 12 min‑
utes and saw Sharan and Ram convert two of
six break point opportunities. Kubot and
Melo converted two out of four break points.
On Sunday, Paes and Raja were convincing‑
ly swept aside by Juan Sebastian Cabal and
Robert Farah of Colombia 1‑6, 2‑6 in just an
hour and nine minutes. India's hopes now
rest in the mixed doubles draw with sole rep‑
resentation by Bopanna. Bopanna and his
Hungarian partner Timea Babos are in the
second round after beating Ellen Perez and
Andrew Whittington in the opening round.
Rohan Bopanna.
Federer oldest player to
reach quarters in 40 years
Melbourne: Switzerland's Roger Federer
became the oldest player to reach men's
singles quarterfinals at the Australian Open
in over 40 years, defeating Marton
Fucsovics of Hungary 6‑4, 7‑6 (7‑3), 6‑2.
The defending champion Federer needed
little more than two hours to defeat
Fucsovics, the world No. 80, in straight sets
in their first career match, reports Efe.
"I thought he was playing really clean,
solid," Federer said on court after the
match. "Credit to him for playing a great
tournament." Hitting six aces and 34 win‑
ners, Federer, 36, became the oldest player
to reach the men's singles quarterfinals
since Ken Rosewall of Australia achieved
the feat in 1977 at age 43.
to pocket Test series
Centurion: South Africa rode on debutant
paceman Lungi Ngidi's maiden five‑wicket
haul to thrash an underwhelming India by
135 runs on the final morning of the sec‑
ond cricket Test at the SuperSport Park
here.
With the win, South Africa have taken an
unassailable 2‑0 lead in the three‑match
rubber even as Virat Kohli lost his first
Test series as India skipper.
Chasing 287 to win and level the series,
India, who conceded a 28‑run lead in their
first innings, danced to the tunes of the
right‑arm pacer Ngidi (6/39) to be bundled
Mohammad Shami & Rohit Sharma during
out for a paltry 151 after the morning ses‑
Day 5 of the second Test match between
sion was extended by 15 minutes, thanks
South Africa and India. (Photo: BCCI/IANS)
to India losing their wickets in heaps.
The total could have been worse minus Thereafter, Patel, who was middling the
the 54‑run eighth wicket stand between ball well during his 49‑ball stay, fell to a
Rohit Sharma and Mohammed Shami as short ball from Kagiso Rabada, caught bril‑
the South African pacers dominated the liantly by a running Morne Morkel.
proceedings all throughout the morning. Ngidi then joined the party to get rid of
Resuming the day at 35/3, India lost the Pandya, who foolishly attempted to guide a
overnight duo of Cheteshwar Pujara (19) short wide delivery over the wicketkeeper,
and Parthiv Patel (19) in quick succession only to find de Kock pulling it off with a
before all‑rounder Hardik Pandya made stunning one‑handed effort.
his way back to the dressing room after The debutant struck immediately to pack
being splendidly caught behind by back Ravichandran Ashwin (3), caught
stumper Quinton de Kock. behind before Shami arrived to forge a 54‑
Pujara lasted only three overs before run eighth wicket stand with Rohit.
gifting his wicket away to another suicidal Despite his partners departing one by
run‑out, similar to his dismissal in the first one at the other end, the 30‑year‑old Rohit
innings. continued playing his natural game,
The Saurashtra right‑hander perished in defending the good balls and taking the
his attempt to steal a third run, off a throw left‑arm spinner Keshav Maharaj to the
from AB de Villiers, with stumper Quinton cleaners, before falling short by three runs
de Kock completing the rest. for his 10th Test half century.
 24 Jan 27-Feb 2, 2018 LIFESTYLE TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Bikinis allowed in Goa because of historic

Opinion Poll in 1967: Deputy speaker
Panaji: The Opinion Poll of 1967,
a historic referendum in Goa, may
have helped the former
Portuguese colony retain its own
unique identity but assembly
deputy speaker and BJP MLA
Michael Lobo feels the Opinion
Poll is also the reason why bikinis
are allowed in the coastal state.
Loboʼs speech, delivered on
Tuesday at one of the numerous
events held to mark the Opinion
Poll day, where he justifies why
bikinis in Goa are allowed because
of the Opinion Poll against a
merger with Maharashtra, went
viral the next day on social media.
“The development which has
happened here (in Goa), the fact
that international tourists come to
this destination... To go to the last
limit, bikini is allowed on the
beach is because of this Opinion
Poll day,” Lobo said.
“I am going into that because in
Maharashtra it is not allowed. Let
us be very frank. In Maharashtra
it is not allowed, otherwise
tourism would have flourished
there,” Lobo also said.
During the historic referendum known in Goa as
During the historic referendum ‘Opinion Poll’ day, on January 16, 1967, 54.20% of the
known in Goa as ʻOpinion Pollʼ
day, on January 16, 1967, 54.20% population had voted for Goa to be a separate territory.
of the population voted for Goa to
be a separate territory while
43.50% voted for merging the
newly liberated region into neigh‑
boring Maharashtra. The
Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party
had backed the merger while
United Goans, led by late Jack
Sequeira, batted for Goa being
recognised as an independent
region in the Indian Union. Goa
was liberated from Portuguese
rule in 1961 and was eventually
granted statehood in 1987 after
years of being governed as a
Union Territory. Lobo also said
that Goa and its people should
give proper due to Opinion Poll
day by hosting an official function
in Panaji to commemorate the (Image courtesy: nationalheraldindia.com)
occasion every year.

Heard of the 7 Days Challenge? Not
ʻEat, pray, loveʼ but ʻEat, move, liveʼ
New Delhi: Want to eat
healthier? Or move
around town in a more
sustainable manner?
Or just lead your daily
life in a smarter way?
You need to try the 7
Days Challenge.
The Swedish
Embassy here, in asso‑
ciation with the TERI
School of Advanced
Studies, has organized
the Challenge target‑
ing youth from classes
9 to 12 in schools and
graduate and post‑
graduate students in
colleges across the national capital from
January 17 to 23.
The Challenge is basically a call to action
for the participants to practise sustainable
lifestyles and consists of seven days of prac‑
tical sustainable solutions focusing on three
categories: Eat, move and live.
“The 7 Days Challenge is an attempt really
for a short period of time trying to encour‑
age people to think, eat, live, move smartly
and sustainably and doing so in a short peri‑
od of time and in encouraging best practices
and also creativity around sub‑solutions,”
Swedish Ambassador Klas Molin told IANS,
explaining the concept.
“Coming up with new ideas, not just emu‑
lating, copying which is being done, but
thinking creatively,” he said, adding that in
the first round, young people who are using
modern technologies and thinking in new
ways and whose future will be more impact‑
ed by todayʼs choices, have been targeted.
(Image courtesy: hindustantimes.com)
India is the third country, after Kenya and
Indonesia, where the 7 Days Challenge is
being organized.
But why seven days?
“Calling it the 7 Days Challenge, I think,
partly is psychological, that it is a manage‑
able period of time,” Molin said.
“Surely we can all devote a week to living
smarter, thinking more consciously and act‑
ing, traveling and shopping more sustain‑
ably. It is a reasonable, manageable amount
of time.”
According to the website of the Challenge,
its objectives are: To emphasize the role of
individual action for sustainable develop‑
ment; to spread awareness about the need
for adopting practical sustainable solutions
and lifestyles at the individual level; to build
individual capacity and motivate individuals
to improvise and innovate their choices and
lifestyle towards more sustainable ones; and
improve their own quality of life.
80% people play online games to relax
New Delhi: People play online games to
relax and de‑stress, according to a survey.
The survey by Reycreo, a platform for
easy and fun gaming experience, was con‑
ducted among 1,000 people to understand
the lifestyle of an online gamer, read a
statement. It was found that just 20 per
cent play games for fun and recreation,
and 80 per cent want to play when they
(Image courtesy: freekigames.com)
want to relax. As many as 37 per cent
Apart from metros like Delhi, Mumbai
respondents play online games when they
and Bengaluru, users from tier‑II cities like
are traveling whereas 63 per cent of the
Patna, Indore, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Pune,
respondents play while at home or at their
Chandigarh, Kochi and Bhopal are the
workplace when they want to relax or de‑
most active online gamers.
stress. The study also stated that about 76
How frequently do people play online
per cent of the user base comprises of pro‑
games? On an average, a user plays
fessionals and 14 per cent are students.
around 15‑18 games per day and spends
Surprisingly, 10 per cent of loyal online
around 30 minutes every day on the plat‑
gamers are senior citizens who play to
form.
overcome boredom and to pass time.
Internet may have influenced
millennials' opinion on religion: Study
New York: Internet may have prompted millennials ‑‑ born between 1983 and 2000 ‑‑ to
see themselves as "free agents" who are less likely to choose a religious tradition or belief
that only one religion is true, a study has revealed. Frequent Internet use may decrease the
affiliation with a single religious tradition, because Internet use encourages religious "tin‑
kering", the researchers said. "Tinkering means that people feel they are no longer behold‑
en to institutions or religious dogma," said Paul K. McClure, researcher and sociologist at
the Baylor University in Texas. "The more time one spends on the Internet, the greater the
odds are that that person will not be affiliated with a religion," McClure added.
Internet use exposes people to a broader array of religious traditions and beliefs and may
encourage them to adjust their views or experiment with their beliefs, perhaps adopting a
less exclusive view of religion.
"Today, perhaps in part because many of us spend so much time online, we're more likely
to understand our religious participation as free agents who can tinker with a plurality of
religious ideas ‑‑ even different, conflicting religions ‑‑ before we decide how we want to
live," McClure said. The study, published in the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion,
also examined television viewing and found that it was linked to religion, but in a different
way ‑‑ lower religious attendance and other religious activities that take time.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info HEALTH Jan 27-Feb 2, 2018 25

Slow down ageing with Microsoft patents ʻmind

controlʼ brain interface
antioxidant‑rich food
New Delhi: Slow down ageing,
reduce the risk of heart diseases
and diabetes ‑‑ these are some
reasons why it is important to
consume antioxidant‑rich foods
like dark chocolates, nuts, kid‑
ney beans, cranberries and
tomatoes, suggest experts.
Sonia Narang, Wellness Expert
(Image courtesy: healthpost.in)

at Oriflame India and Mehar
Rajput, Nutritionist at Fitpass,
share tips:
4 The reason that antioxi‑
dants are often touted as "anti‑
aging" compounds is because
they help protect from age‑
related diseases, which are
caused in part by free radicals
and inflammation. Antioxidants
such as alpha lipoic and others
found in pine bark and green
tea. They produce valuable anti‑
inflammatory results by increas‑
ing circulation and cell metabo‑
lism.
4 Different antioxidants ben‑
efit different parts of the body:
Beta carotene is beneficial to
eye health. Lycopene is benefi‑
cial for helping prostate health.
Flavonoids are beneficial for
heart health.
4 Spirulina has a variety of
antioxidants and other sub‑
stances that are beneficial in
boosting immunity. It helps in
enhancing both the non‑ specif‑
ic and specific immune system.
4 A diet rich in antioxidants
is important to keep the level of
aging low and in maintenance
of good health.
Anti‑inflammatory effects:
Antioxidants in your morning
tea and coffee may help prevent
heart disease. Antioxidant
Polyphenol found in tea and cof‑
fee helps in preventing oxida‑
tion of fats (a process that pro‑
motes inflammation and
increases the risk of cardiovas‑
cular disease, diabetes and
other ailments).
Immune booster: Antioxidants
are present in fruits. Vitamin A,
C and E, polyphenols and cer‑
tain minerals like selenium, that
boost immune system are there
in fruits.
Prevent risk of cancer: During
cancer, the level of antioxidants
reduces drastically and consum‑
ing food high in antioxidants
can help improve the symp‑
toms.
Prevent diabetes: Diabetes is
often accompanied by an
increase in the formation of free
radicals and harmful com‑
pounds. The elevated glucose
level in the blood can lead to
damaged cells because of oxida‑
tion. Use of antioxidants can
reduce the glucose level and
complications of diabetes.
Some of the eatables rich in
antioxidants include dark
chocolate, pomegranate, pump‑
kin seeds, cilantro, blueberries,
nuts, kidney beans, cranberries,
goji berries and tomatoes.
T
echnology giant Microsoft
has been granted a patent
for a brain control device
that can give users mind control
powers to operate apps with just
their brains, without any move‑
ment. Using sensor‑equipped head
bands, the device could ideally
interpret neurological data to have
users open and use apps with
thoughts instead of gestures, the
americangenius.com reported.
These sensors would send neuro‑
logical signals like the electroen‑
cephalogram (EEG) readings,
which the device can decode to
launch and operate compatible
apps. Moreover, users could ʻtrainʼ
the device to recognize which sig‑
nals should apply to intended app
behavior. Algorithms would learn
the brain behavior and use neuron
fluctuation to draw or move
objects at the userʼs will based on
detected patterns.
Some operative gestures include
intention to swipe, finger pinch,
mouse clicks and button pushes.
Once the user thinks or focuses on
these movements, the data is com‑
municated to the computer system
that runs the app. “Neurological
user intention data corresponding
to a physical gesture is generated
when a user thinks about and/or
focuses on a movement, in the
same way an amputee might think
about moving an amputated limb,”
according to the patent, as quoted
by theamericangenius.com. While
any kind of app can be used, the
patent mentions video games, aug‑
mented and virtual reality simula‑
tors, three‑dimensional modelling
software, web browsers and even
word processors. Apps controlling
mechanical tools and machinery
like robotic arms could also be
used with Microsoftʼs new patent
technology.
The patent could also one day
open up the possibility for less
dystopic things like controlling
prosthetic limbs and giving differ‑
ently abled individuals the ability
to control apps and devices even if
they are not able to physically
move. In 2017, Facebook claimed
to be developing a brain computer
interface. (IANS)

Bikram hot yoga not better than regular yoga: Study

New York: Bikram yoga ‑‑ a yoga
style performed in a room heated
to 40 degrees Celsius ‑‑ may be
just as ef fective at improving
health as the same yoga postures
practiced at room temperature, a
new study has claimed.
While practising Bikram yoga,
involving 26 postures, led to
health improvements, it showed
that its heated environment did
not play a role in attaining these
benefits.
Instead, the same ef fects were
also seen at room temperature, the
researchers said.
"The new finding from this inves‑
tigation was that the heated prac‑
tice environment did not seem to
play a role in eliciting improve‑
ments in vascular health with
Bikram yoga," said Stacy D.
Hunter, from the University of
Texas at Austin.
"This is the first publication to
date to show a beneficial effect of
the practice in the absence of the
heat," Hunter added.
The study showed that Bikram
yoga can help reduce changes in
the lining of blood vessels that are
involved in the development and
progression of heart disease.
It can also possibly delay the
progression of atherosclerosis ‑‑ a
disease in which plaque builds up
inside arteries and can cause heart
attack or stroke. For the study,
published in Experimental
Physiology, 80 participants were
enrolled and randomized to one of
three study groups after prelimi‑
nary screening.
In addition to the heated and
room temperature yoga groups, a
control group was also included to
account for the ef fect of time on
our primary results.
The intervention lasted for 12
weeks and participants were asked
to attend three Bikram yoga class‑
es per week. (Image courtesy: wikimedia.org)

Trump in 'excellent health,' White

House doctor says after exam
Washington, DC: The White House physician pronounced Donald Trump
to be in “excellent health” after Trump had his first medical exam as U.S.
president on Friday, capping off a week in which his mental fitness for
the job has come under intense scrutiny. Trump spent about three hours
with military doctors at the Walter Reed National Military Medical
Center in Bethesda, Maryland, an exam that White House doctor Ronny
Jackson said went “exceptionally well.” “The president is in excellent
health and I look forward to briefing some of the details on Tuesday,”
Jackson said in a brief statement distributed by the White House.
 26 Jan 27-Feb 2, 2018
Indian culture gives divine status
to ʻalphabetʼ: Vice President
New Delhi: The Vice
President of India, M.
Venkaiah Naidu has said
Inaugurates Vijayawada Book Festival
that Indian culture gave
divine status to "alphabet"
in vedas is an indication
to the importance we give
to books and literature.
He was addressing the
gathering after inaugurat‑
ing the 29th Vijayawada
Book Festival, in
Vijayawada, Andhra
Pradesh. The Chief
Minister of Andhra
Pradesh, N. Chandrababu
Naidu and other digni‑
taries were present on the
occasion. India's Vice President, M. Venkaiah Naidu (Image courtesy: pib.nic.in)
The Vice President said
that books are our good friends and good books
raise our living standards. He further said that
when we are in trouble, they show the way. Those
who are well educated they are highly regarded
in the society and opening a book means opening other forms of art to promote peace and tranquil‑
a new world, he added.
The Vice President said that even women in the for the development of our great nation.
Vedic literature are equally involved in writing
books and Gargi, Maitreya and others have writ‑
ten several books. He further said that there are
many female writers right from the Buddhist era
to Tamil Sangam era. In the Vaishnava tradition
By Vikas Dutta
A
ll our social development and our
technological advancements don't
seem enough to eradicate our long‑
persisting atavistic sense of difference
based on appearance, which though long‑
suppressed is now emerging free from its
restraints ‑‑ as proved by the recent intem‑
perate comments by US President Donald
Trump on immigrants from a certain set of
countries.
Trump's thinking, as seen in his off‑the‑
cuff remarks, underscore that the ques‑
tionable classification of race, expressed by
the obviously evident and inescapable fea‑
ture of a person's skin, is well alive ‑‑ and
extends beyond the white‑black binary.
What about the yellow, or rather, the (as
necessary for global economy but far more
exploited) brown?
Trump is only one leading manifestation
of the malaise facing brown people ‑‑
which include West Asians, Latin
Americans, North Africans, and South and
Southeast Asians ‑‑ and far beyond the
West too or from the "Whites", says
Yemeni‑origin, Egypt‑bred, Canadian jour‑
nalist‑turned‑academician Al Solaylee in
this book.
Trump's victory "largely (but not exclu‑
sively)" rode on demonizing Mexicans, gal‑
vanizing sentiment against Muslims and
championing white nationalism, the vote
for Brexit was mostly pioneered by those
with a restrictive view of Englishness, the
record of Canada under Stephen Harper's
Conservatives ‑‑ all these are obscure racial
conflicts brewing in the US and Europe for
decades now.
"Examine these tensions closely and
you'll find a strong anti‑brown sentiment
BOOKS TheSouthAsianTimes.info
ISKCON HEAD'S NEW
BOOK 'THE JOURNEY
WITHIN' LAUNCHED
Mumbai: 'The Journey Within', penned of our existence, and many spiritual
by ISKCON spiritual head Radhanath traditions have evolved through
Swami Maharaj as a sequel to his ear‑ sacred texts that facilitate journeys of
lier New York Times bestseller 'The transformation and discovery. "Yet,
Journey Home', was released here in never before have all of the spiritual
the presence of a galaxy of personali‑ traditions been distilled so simply into
ties. A much‑awaited follow‑up of the one easy‑to‑follow path ‑‑ of Love and
first book 'The Journey Within', which Devotion ‑‑ to provide these answers,"
was the autobiography of an American added Radhanath Swami, who heads
Swami in India, in 'The Journey Home' the International Society for Krishna
the author has highlighted his own Consciousness temple, at Chowpatty
experiences as a long‑standing guru of in south Mumbai.
Bhakti Yoga which illustrates the basic Present on the occasion were
teachings of the ancient Indian philos‑ Bollywood producer Smita Thackeray,
ophy and spiritualism. athlete Kranti Salvi, Hungarian
"My experiences, which I hope, Consul‑General Norbert Revai‑Bere,
would enlighten the readers with spir‑ Mauritius Consul‑General
itual thoughts and philosophy, as we Bineshwaree Napaul and TV actor
there are even Dalits and women among Alwars
take a long journey across the globe.. Nitesh Bharadwaj, among others.
who wrote books, he added.
We derive happiness which is short With illuminating references to
The Vice President said that cinema has a
lived or may derive no happiness western religions and ideologies, 'The
tremendous impact on us and cinema, music and
because we seldom take a 'journey Journey Within' goads readers from
within', which can reveal our purpose all backgrounds to discover the simple
ity. He further said that everyone to stay united
of existence and guide us on the path truths that unite the people and
of eternal happiness," Radhanath answer timeless questions like "What
The Vice President complemented the Andhra
Swami said. He said the mysteries of is Love, Soul, Who is God, How to live
Pradesh government for taking to promote
the soul have evaded mystics, sages in the physical world without losing
Telugu language and said that he is delighted to
and gurus for centuries, humanity has touch with the spiritual, etc", said a
know the government has dedicated the year
long yearned to discover the purpose spokesperson.
2018 for Telugu language protection.
Brown: The color of toil
but non‑acceptance
across the West?
among former colonial masters where they
Book Review are "transforming themselves from name‑
of Asia itself too. "This is now our destiny less individuals with swarthy skins into
as brown people. Our labor is needed, but neighbors, co‑workers and friends".
citizenship is denied; our presence as And it is their story he tells ‑‑ both in
Muslims or religious minorities is offered their homes from the Philippines to Sri
as an example of the tolerant, diverse soci‑ Lanka and workplaces from Hong Kong to
eties in which we live, but we continue to the Gulf as well as Western Europe and
be feared," says Al Solaylee. North America. Al Solaylee, however, starts
And there is no difference with first recounting his own childhood
whether this is deliberate or experience on learning he is brown after
Title:
mistaken as he goes to cite seeing a English movie featuring a white
at the core," says Al Solaylee Brown: What
the cases of the racist slurs child and coming to terms with
as he traces the response to, Being Brown in the
World Today Means on Sikh volunteers feeding "brownnes"" in his journeys around the
as well as the experiences
(to Everyone); Author: the homeless in world and interactions with other browns
of, the residents of Global Kamal Al Solaylee; (fairness creams figure largely as well as
Manchester in the wake of
South, who are forced to Publisher: Harper the May 2017 terror the concern that he settle down) as well as
migrate to ‑‑ and much need‑ Collins Publishers; brown's significance in nature and culture.
attack, or the fatal shooting
ed in ‑‑ the Developed North Pages: 344
of Indian techie Srinivas He then takes up the human obsession
for various reasons, not least of with race, despite the concept being
Kuchibhotla in the US in
which is the latter's colonial record. debunked, except in politics before his
February 2017 by an American who
"Brown as the color of cheap labor con‑ exploration of the experiences and conse‑
thought he and his friend were Iranians
tinues on a global scale... brown bodies quences of being brown around the world.
and screaming at them to "get out of his
undertake the work that white and older A stirring travelogue, incisive social and
country".
immigrant Americans refuse to do (and political comment and a passionate cry to
Al Solaylee contends we think of brown
that black slaves were forced to do in pre‑ rise above unavoidable consequences of
as a "continuum, a grouping ‑‑ a metaphor,
vious centuries). geography and genes, this invaluable work
even ‑‑ for the millions of darker‑skinned
These are low‑skill, labour‑intensive jobs rises in importance beyond its subject to
people who, in broad historical terms, have
in unforgiving climates," he says, but also be a seminal guide to the world today ‑‑
missed out on the economic and political
that these are not limited to the Western and what it will soon be ‑‑ particularly
gains of the post‑mobility, equality and
nations but also in the more affluent parts the US.
freedom". They are now living, he says,
TheSouthAsianTimes.info HOSPTIALITY Jan 27-Feb 2, 2018 27

Celebrations need more innovation than technology

T
his is era of change. The only
thing constant in this world
is change. So it is in the field
of events & culinary, maybe
changes occur even faster here.
When we start using a computer or
an iPhone we use it for at least a
few years before we start looking
for a new one ‑‑ because the tech‑
nology has become obsolete or a
new one has been launched.
But the themes and culinary cre‑
ations become obsolete so quickly
that guests in an event do not want
to see the same theme or food in
their next event. Although many
elements go into making an event
memorable: like theme, culinary,
music, lighting, service and presen‑
tation, but the most important is
culinary & theme, says Ajay
Chaudhry, the man behind creation
of handcrafted events taking place
at the new venue ʻMartinsville
Gardensʼ in New Jersey. “And mind
you, we do this by hiring locals, not
any experts. I do not need any fixed
mindsets. I need fresh ideas, people
who have not handled Asian events
and food before.”
Ajay says, did you know that in a
hotel, guest rooms are more perish‑
able than food. The food can still be
served the next day if it is stored
properly, but a room unsold today
canʼt be sold tomorrow. Such
secrets only an expert in the field of
hospitality is privy to. He has a
guest whoʼs doing three pre‑wed‑
ding events. For each of their par‑
ties not just the food, but the pres‑
entation, colors, ingredients, every‑
thing has to be different.
Ajay recounts an anecdote: “In
India we had a prime minister who
Every event & culinary creation has to be handcrafted to
be unique as every guest deserves to get a distinctive
and extraordinary experience... Explains Ajay Chaudhry
from Chand Palace, when asked the secret behind the
unique events and innovative culinary he curates..
state who wanted to visit India.
When it comes to such dignitaries,
the prime minister needs every
menu to be different. So for one of
the state banquets we created a new
entrée chicken dish after many food
trials with the
Health friendly handcrafted desserts.
To make an event memorable,
theme and culinary
are most important.
chefs. The dish turned out to be
excellent but naming the dish was a
challenge too. It was our executive
chef Jaganmoy Chaudhryʼs favorite
recipe so we named it Chicken
Jaganmoy. And why not? When you
An innovative display of sweets around a tree. can have Chicken breast Escoffier,
Consommé Princess Alice named
had served earlier as foreign minis‑ ed taking shape. So when he was after famous chefs, why not Chicken
ter and liberalization had just start‑ sworn in, there were many heads of Jaganmoy. “The purpose of narrat‑
ing this incident is that lot of
thought goes into making an event
memorable, especially in the busi‑
ness of events. A restaurant menu
can go on for ages but hosts and
guests want to see new dishes every
time. So this is what is ʻhandcraftedʼ.
That you defy all basics to create
something new.” Last year Ajayʼs
team invented ʻMediterranean
kurkuriʼ, which is a tortilla fusion
wrap and two desserts called the
ʻGuava Thrillʼ and ʻMango Delightʼ.
These are handcrafted dishes,
which are not as per any recipe, as
was Chicken Jaganmoy, says Ajay,
adding: “A dessert from guava is
very unusual. When I create a dish, I
also keep health in mind. These
dishes were so successful that our
guests made our chefs roll out
about 20,000 rolls of
Mediterranean kurkuri and
35,000 cups of Mango and
Guava in their first year.”
The culinary element is to
be incorporated with other ele‑
ments such as theme, décor and
crowd mix to create a unique
memorable event. Contends Ajay, “I
can say it with pride that every
event of mine is different as it is
handcrafted.” His uniquely crafted
events have also become a reason
for the success of Chand Palaceʼs
new venture, Martinsville Gardens,
which was closed for many years
before he found and restored it. But
this year again the guests are look‑
ing for new themes and new food.
“This word ʻNEWʼ gives me sleep‑
less nights,” concludes Ajay.
Ajayʼs Martinsville Gardens is in
Bridgewater, NY. He can be
contacted at ajay@chandpalace.com

Understanding the EB-5 Investor Visas program

By Michael Phulwani, Esq. & entity. In this program an before the expiry of the two years amounts to $1.5 to $2 million for
Dev B. Viswanath, Esq. Investor should expect to spend an application of removal of this the straight investment and pos‑
around $540,000‑$575,000 in condition is filed to show that the sibly $800,000 for the TEA and

T TALK
he EB‑5 visa program was
created by Congress to
enhance the U.S. economy
through job creation and capital
investment by foreign investors.
It is a fast track path to a green
card for people who invest in
America. Entrepreneurs from for‑
eign countries can apply for an
EB‑5 visa if they invest in a com‑
mercial enterprise in the U.S. and
plan to create or sustain 10 per‑
manent full‑time jobs for quali‑
fied U.S. workers. These jobs
need to be created within two
years after the investor has
received their conditional perma‑
nent residency. The commercial
enterprise must be a new com‑
mercial enterprise. Commercial
enterprise is defined as any for‑
profit activity formed for the con‑
tinuing conduct of lawful busi‑
ness. An individual who wants to
apply for an EB‑5 visa is required
to invest the needed amount of
capital in a new commercial
enterprise that will produce at
least 10 full time positions for
qualifying employees. The
required minimum investment is
$1 million.
There are also Targeted
Employment Areas (TEA) which
are areas with high unemploy‑
ment rates or rural areas, and in
those places the investment mini‑
mum is reduced to $500,000
investment. Targeted employ‑
ment areas also must have expe‑
rienced unemployment of at least
150 percent of the national aver‑
age rate.
In TEAʼs there are Regional
Centers whereby Investors can
invest the $500,000 in another
company whereby the 10 U.S.
workers are hired through that
total, which would include the
govt fees, the EB‑5 investment,
the attorneysʼ fees, and the
administrative fees. This is a
wonderful option for individuals
who are unsure of what to invest
in or they donʼt have any projects
that would need that type of
monetary investment. In this
investment model, the investor
has no control or responsibilities
to the EB‑5 regional center. The
Investor, their spouse, and minor
children can all emigrate to the
United States, live wherever they
want, and do any other work they
would like.
The EB‑5 program can be uti‑
lized through gifted money from
relatives or anyone else as long
as the investment comes from
abroad and comes from traceable
legal sources. The “green card” is
issued for an initial period of two
years, whereby a conditional
green card is issued, and then
business is still functioning and Regional Center programs. For
all the requirements have been those interested and who would
met. Investors are usually like to take advantage of the
allowed to sell or receive the lower investment amounts, we
principal investment or whatever suggest getting involved very
is left from it, after 8 years. soon.
The program is set to expire in In conclusion, the EB‑5
April 2018. And it is likely that Investment Immigrant Visa pro‑
Congress will extend this visa cat‑ gram is a wonderful option for
egory, however, with some modi‑ those individuals with significant
fications, which include a likely financial means and an interest
increase in the investment in moving to America.
Dev Banad Viswanath is the Principal
Attorney of The Banad Law Offices PC in the
United States, and Banad Immigration in
India for which Attorney Michael Phulwani is
also affiliated as Of Counsel. With Offices in
Manhattan, Queens, Bangalore, and Mumbai,
the firm is able to assist clients with all facets
of the immigration process, including
Employment Visas, Consular Visa Assistance,
Student Visas, Removal & Deportation, US
Citizenship and Green Card Applications
based on Family or Employment. Dev B.
Viswanath can be reached at
Dev@Banadlaw.com and 718‑361‑5999.
28 Jan 27-Feb 2, 2018 HUMOR TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Funny Side by Nury Vittachi

Westerners in a knot
over pronouns
A
woman
about to
have a
hospital proce‑
dure involving
her "naughty
bits" (to use the
official medical
term) asked for
a female nurse
to do it. In
BEST walked a beefy
individual with a
RATE crew‑cut, deep
voice, facial hair
FOR and tattoos.
When she
INDIA politely pointed out that this nurse was
clearly a man, staff told her that their col‑
who are increasingly required to use made‑
up gender neutral pronouns, including zir,

AND league was a transsexual who had chosen to

retain some male characteristics.
ze, zem, xemself, hirs, pers and ve. Classes
can have hundreds of undergrads, so teach‑

PAKISTAN Staff made her "feel like a bigot" for what

she'd said and she left the hospital without
ers have no hope of remembering who is
what.
treatment. Zir will almost certainly accidentally call
Details of this incident in a North London hirs or xem ze or pers, and Zir will be
New York Head Quarter hospital, reported in the UK Sunday Times a charged with a hate crime.
422‑S Broadway few days ago, were sent to me by reader Last year, a Canadian psychology profes‑
Sherwood Tang, who said: "I'm as politically sor said he had decided to simply use "he"
HICKSVILLE for boys and "she" for girls. This statement
correct as the next man, but it seems to me
NY 11801 that the West has gone mad." caused utter shock and outrage in the West,
I hear you, Mr Tang. Major international and total bafflement among Asians, who
516‑827‑1010 media (which means Western media) now struggled to see the problem.
require that reporters MUST refer to individ‑ Penalties for getting this wrong are
uals by their "current self‑chosen gender", mounting. A law was recently passed in
not their DNA gender. California which makes nursing home staff
But at least we get to use real words, who repeatedly use "he" for a male who has
unlike North American university teachers, said he prefers "she" (or vice versa) punish‑
able by a $1,000 fine plus a year's jail sen‑
tence.
Laughter is the Best Medicine I told Sherwood that we don't have this
problem in Asia. "We've basically only got
one sex left," I said. China and India have
like a billion men each and only a few
women.
You think I'm joking but there was a very
By Mahendra telling scandal in China a few days ago.
Shah Police swooped on the offices of dozens of
Tinder‑style Chinese language dating apps
and found that all the women were robots.
Mahendra Shah is In text conversations with men, the robots
an architect by gave out random responses with zero logic,
education, entre- jumping from topic to topic, and the men
preneur by pro- apparently never once realised that they
fession, artist and were not talking to actual women.
humorist, I have not the slightest idea why, and male
cartoonist and readers who value their lives are strongly
writer by hobby. recommended to make the same claim.
He has been Anyway, this reporter has resigned himself
recording the to the fact that he will have to use the new
plight of the immi- politically correct non‑gender pronouns
grant Indians for when working for Western media. So the
the past many story at the beginning of this column could
years in his car- go something like this:
toons. Hailing from A pers went to hospital to have zir private
Gujarat, he lives parts checked and asked xem for a xim
in Pittsburgh, nurse. But a xir entered. "You're not a zem,
Pennsylvania. you're xir," pers said. Em replied: "I am a
zem inside but have chosen to retain select‑
ed xir characteristics." The pers understood.
And ze lived happily ever after.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
By Dr Prem Kumar Sharma
JANUARY 27‑FEBRUARY 2, 2018
ARIES: You are likely to meet
someone this week, who may
become your life long friend.
Problems on the work front will be eas‑
ily overcome. Excelling in academics
will add to your motivation to do even
better. You will need to be at hand to
help out a near and dear one.A family
youngster is likely to do you proud.
Good earning can be expected, as a ven‑
ture turns profitable. Health remains
good, as you become conscious about
fitness.
TAURUS: A chance to visit some‑
place you had wanted to for
long may materialise. You will
be able to mould a senior to accept
your ideas on the professional front.
Exceptional performance on the aca‑
demic front is foreseen and will help
you join the lead pack. Some celebra‑
tion is foreseen on the home front.
Getting engaged or married is on the
cards for the eligible. Judicious spend‑
ing will help you tide over the lean
period on the financial front.
GEMINI: Things brighten up for
you on the academic front. A
good equation is likely to be
formed with someone on the social
front. A family youngster is likely to do
you proud by his or her academic per‑
formance. Things are likely to turn
favourable at work and boost your
career prospects. A favourable decision
regarding property can be expected by
those facing litigation. Some of you will
resurrect your love life by stoking the
embers of passion!
CANCER: This is the right time
to approach someone influen‑
tial on the academic front for
you‑know‑what! Love life of those feel‑
ing stagnated in a relationship is set to
improve. Emotional contentment is
what you seek and emotional content‑
ment is what you will get, but through
some efforts. Burning the midnight oil
is important, if you want to do well on
the academic front. Donʼt take too
many liberties on the health front as
you can get afflicted with some ailment.
LEO: You will need to be con‑
scious of what is going around
you at work. Adding some rich
clientele to the list of clients is possible
for some professionals. A profit making
scheme is likely to be put into ef fect
and give excellent results. Some of you
are likely to spend a happy and healthy
time with a fitness conscious friend.
There is no point in being too assertive
on the romantic front, you will only
upset lover.
VIRGO: You may have more on
your plate than you can tackle,
but that wonʼt deter you from
giving it your best. Someone influential
is likely to take care of your financial
well being. Keeping fit may become
your mantra to begin indulging in
healthy activities.
Someone can irritate you on the profes‑
sional front and invite your scorpionʼs
sting! However, playing cool will be
sensible. Holding hands and exchang‑
ing sweet nothings with lover may not
be possible this week.
LIBRA: Donʼt take no for an
answer, even if you have to
spend t ime in convincing.
Spending quality time with lover is
indicated and will prove most fulfilling.
An official trip promises to be most
entertaining. Finding time to discharge
a social commitment will be possible.
You are likely to remain on your toes at
work and see an important job to com‑
pletion. Curbing your habit of splurging
will seem a personal triumph and help
you save much!
SCORPIO: You may feel a bit cut
up with someone, but may feel
reluctant to face him or her.
Help required for something will be
forthcoming from the family. Striking a
friendship with someone you had pass‑
ing acquaintance with is possible. Love
life remains enjoyable, as you accord
priority to it over other things.
Overseas travel is indicated, maybe to
meet a dear one living abroad.
Investing in real estate will prove lucky
for you, so go ahead.
SAGITTARIUS: You may find
those around you more secre‑
tive than usual. Hasty actions
threaten to spoil your image on the
social front. Changes on the profession‑
al front may not be to your liking, but
little you can do about it. Dipping prof‑
its may become a cause for alarm for
retailers and small businessmen. Your
relationship appears to be on the rocks,
as differences grow. Those looking for
a quick path to success on the fitness
front may be disappointed.
CAPRICORN: Time is ticking and
you still have a lot of do, so get
after whatever is pending. A
prestigious assignment may come to you
and help you make your mark on the
professional front. You are likely to hold
your own on the academic front in the
face of stif f competition. Friends are
likely to help you out in discharging a
social commitment. Those with a reli‑
gious bent of mind may plan on a pil‑
grimage.Taking the family out for a spin
will be fun. Those who have saved to
splurge on this week, will find it worth it.
AQUARIUS: A business trip is
likely to prove most fruitful for
some. Those in medical and
engineering fields will find recognition
in whatever they are currently pursu‑
ing. Preferential treatment is likely at
work as you manage to remain on the
right side of the boss. You may take the
initiative of hosting a family gathering
at your house. Someone you are in love
with is likely to reciprocate in equal
measure, so enjoy! Travelling with
someone interesting promises to make
the journey entertaining.
PISCES: You are likely to derive
immense satisfaction from what
you are currently involved in.
Someone not agreeing with your pro‑
fessional views may need a wee bit
more convincing. A senior is likely to
take the delay in your project in his or
her stride. A new household item is
likely to be purchased by some. A visit
to a place of entertainment is on the
cards.
ASTROLOGY
Chandigarh, India: +91-172- 256 2832, 257 2874
Delhi, India: +91-11- 2644 9898, 2648 9899
psharma@premastrologer.com; www.premastrologer.com
ANNUAL PREDICTIONS: FOR THOSE BORN IN THIS WEEK
27th January, 2018
Traits in you: Being ruled by Mars,
you are aggressive, courageous, aspir‑
ing, focused, friendly, generous, and
honest. You lag behind others because
you lose many opportunities. You need
to work on your frequent mood swings
and temperament.
Health this year: Health wise you will
enjoy a great time throughout the year.
You may suffer few minor health issues
such as cold, headache or body aches.
You need to take proper medications to
remain physically and mentally fit.
Finance this year: As far as your
financial condition is considered, you
will enjoy a better status as compared
to the last year. You will get enough
benefits from your previous invest‑
ments. You may plan for new invest‑
ments. You may go for partnerships to
start new ventures. Domestic as well as
overseas ventures will be successful
this year. You need to create new con‑
tacts for the growth in your business as
it will earn you more projects and
money.
Career this year: You will be estab‑
lishing yourself as a very efficient and
important resource in your organiza‑
tion this year. Your performance will
influence your peers, seniors and high‑
er management. It is the best time to
look out for a new job as it will help
you grow both professionally and finan‑
cially.
Romance this year: Your plans to go
for holidays with your partner may not
work because of huge work pressure
and this may create disturbance in your
marital life. You need to take care of the
emotional requirements of your partner
to lead a peaceful life this year.
28th January, 2018
Traits in you: Due to the positive
effects of your ruling planet Sun, you
will have the characteristics of a good
human being. By nature, you are
accountable, unique, courageous, com‑
mitted, competitive, coordinated and
intelligent. You should work on your
negative personality traits such as self‑
ishness, dependency and pessimism.
Health this year: You need to take an
appropriate care of your health. You
may fall sick in the middle months of
the year though those will not be seri‑
ous. If you are a sportsperson, you need
to be very careful for your diet and
nutrition to perform better in your
sporting events.
Finance this year: You may get bene‑
fits from your investments later this
year. This year seems to be an ideal one
to start investing in business, land or
gold. Your efforts to earn money may
pay off this time. You may go for new
partnerships. However, you should veri‑
fy the financial background of your
partner for your financial security.
Career this year: You may have to
take few major decisions in your pro‑
fession. You can succeed if you put
some extra ef fort in your work and
deliver quality. You have to drive the
team to put qualitative effort.
Romance this year: If you are yet to
be in a committed relationship, you
may get into one this year. If you are
already committed, then you may plan
for marriage towards the end of the
year.
29th January, 2018
Traits in you: Your ruler, the Moon
makes you a very friendly individual.
You are simple, confident, realistic, sin‑
cere, and optimistic. You are very inno‑
vative and try to perform your work in
a different and efficient way. You need
to work hard on your characteristics of
being jealous and insensitive at times.
Health this year: You will enjoy a nor‑
mal health this year. However, you need
Jan 27-Feb 2, 2018
to be in regular contact with your doc‑
tor to remain healthy. If you face some
minor health issues, you should take
prescribed medication without neglect‑
ing.
Finance this year: You will be able to
stabilize your financial condition by
reaping profits from your past invest‑
ments. You may also plan for new
investments this year. You will find
enough new opportunities to start up a
new business that would yield money
for you. You should invest in real estate
or stock market for better returns.
Career this year: You will be success‑
ful professionally this year. You will be
additional responsibility and you will
well execute them to perfection. Your
success may get you various awards
and rewards as well. You may share
your ideas with the higher management
as it would help you grow quickly.
Romance this year: You will spend a
peaceful life with your love interest this
year. You will lead a blissful life with
your beloved with lots of love, care,
concern, and support.
30th January, 2018
Traits in you: As you are ruled by
Jupiter, you are ambitious, dignified,
friendly, cheerful and highly optimistic.
You are a believer but you do not
believe anything without proper proof.
People respect in many ways as you are
very social and friendly to them.
However, your arrogance blocks the
way to become a complete person.
Health this year: You may enjoy a
great health this year. However, that
does not mean you will start neglecting
your health. You need to take care of
your diet and nutrition to maintain a
good health. You may practice some
exercises to remain fit.
Finance this year: Monetary benefits
will be tough to achieve this year. You
may not get expected financial support
from your family. Your past invest‑
ments will not work this year as expect‑
ed. However, you may go for new short
term investments, which will gain you
enough money. If you are planning to
set up a business, it is advisable not to
go for any partnerships.
Career this year: Your confidence will
convert you into a winner. You will be
capable enough to overcome any chal‑
lenge you need to face. The chances of
your promotion and transfer are high
due to the organizational change.
Romance this year: Your romantic
life will become stagnant this year as
you may not give enough time to your
beloved. If you are unmarried and plan‑
ning to marry this year, it may not hap‑
pen because of the negative movements
of your stars and planets.
31st January, 2018
Traits in you: Uranus, being your
dominating planet helps you become
dynamic and creative. You are positive,
realistic, responsive, and sincere. You
need to work and overcome the weak‑
nesses in your personality to attract
more people towards you.
Health this year: Your health would
remain very good this year. However,
you need to go for regular yoga exercis‑
es. You should not ignore your healthy
diet plan to remain in shape. Go for reg‑
ular medical checkups to avoid any hic‑
cups further.
Finance this year: Though you will be
able to improve your financial status,
you may end up spending a lot of
money in buying luxury and comfort
for yourself and your family. You may
put your money in real estate for better
returns.
Career this year: Your ef forts will
bear results and you will be appreciated
with awards and rewards towards the
end of the year. You may get a promo‑
29
tion for your smart work and efficiency.
Romance this year: Your plans to go
for holidays with your partner may not
work because of huge work pressure
and this may create disturbance in your
marital life. You need to take care of the
emotional requirements of your partner
to lead a peaceful life this year.
1st February, 2018
Traits in you: Your ruling planet, the
Sun blesses you with a unique charac‑
ter. You are pretty confident, creative,
intellectual, optimistic, and enthusias‑
tic. You are gifted with an artistic per‑
ception. You are very much social and
like to make new contacts wherever
you go. However, you need to control
your mood swings and selfishness.
Health this year: You may go through
a very bad patch as far as your health is
concerned this year. You may fall sick
frequently with minor diseases like
fever, cough, cold, body pain, and so on.
You should take care of your health by
taking proper medication.
Finance this year: If you are well edu‑
cated & employed, you may find your‑
self in huge monetary benefits this year.
You might get favors from government
officials to get your work done, which
will earn you a lot of money. You may
go for investments in various sectors as
it may prove to be profitable for you.
Career this year: You are quite capa‑
ble of taking wise decisions. So your
colleagues may seek you help in taking
critical decisions. You will excel as an
efficient employee and this might bring
you a promotion or salary hike. Your
confidence, hard work, and dedication
will help you obtain success in every
project assigned to you.
Romance this year: You may go for a
romantic relationship this year if you
are yet to be in one. If you are married,
you will enjoy a good time with your
spouse. You may plan for marriage if
you are still unmarried. You should
plan for a long holiday with your part‑
ner to give time to each other.
2nd February, 2018
Traits in you: Being influenced by the
Moon, you are creative, simple, reliable,
intelligent, hardworking, and very
social. You are a very efficient in your
work. However, you need to control
your attitude of being rude and pes‑
simistic.
Health this year: Your health will
remain fine. However, you may suffer
from various minor diseases say cough,
cold, body pain, loss of sleep and so on.
To enjoy a very healthy life, you need to
get a good control on your diet. You
have to stay away from alcohol and cig‑
arettes to avoid any organ dysfunction.
Finance this year: You may go
through a moderate financial condition
this year. You past investments may not
bring you expected results. You may get
minimal return from your fixed savings
and that would not make you secure
financially. You should not lend money
to anyone during this year as you may
feel the requirement of money at any
point of time.
Career this year: Being a hardwork‑
ing professional, you are well capable
of performing the best. However, you
need to be very selective and cautious if
you plan to make a move for your
career. You may go for a new job oppor‑
tunity. You may see many ups and
downs in your career as you may strug‑
gle to get things right for yourself.
Romance this year: Your marital life
will go on smoothly with the gradually
growing understanding between you
and your spouse. You will get enough
support from your partner whenever
you are in a problem. If you are yet to
marry, you may need to wait for anoth‑
er year.
30 Jan 27-Feb 2, 2018 SPIRITUAL AWARENESS TheSouthAsianTimes.info

The baskets of prayers

my collecting, I have not heard
any prayers of thankfulness
either.”
For the rest of the month, the
two angels fulfilled their mission,
and were ready to return to God.
The angel collecting prayers of
requests was laden with many
baskets. The angel collecting
prayers of thankfulness had
By Sant Rajinder hardly any in the basket.
Singh Ji Maharaj There were a few prayers of
thankfulness, but a tiny amount
compared to the prayers of
letters from children addressed
to Santa Claus before Christmas.
Yet, after Christmas, children do
We can thank God by leading ethical
not typically send a letter to lives of nonviolence, truthfulness,
Santa thanking him for what they
received. purity, humility and selfless service.
The next time the two angels
are sent by God to come to earth
to collect the prayers of human
beings, let us not disappoint the
one collecting prayers of thanks‑
giving. Let us be among those
who thank God for the gifts we
have received. Letʼs celebrate

T
here is a story about how
God sent two angels to
earth to listen to the
prayers of humanity. One angel
was asked to collect all the
prayers in which people asked
God for something. The other
angel was asked to collect all the
prayers of thanksgiving.
The two angels descended to
earth and began their task. They
agreed to meet back in a month
with their results. The angel col‑
lecting prayers asking God for
something, soon became
extremely busy. There were
prayers that people had to help
them earn more money, or get a
windfall, or win a lottery. There
were prayers for God to cure
people of illnesses. There were
many prayers for improved
health of oneʼs children, spouse,
requests.
When God was presented with
their findings, God sighed. “This
is nothing new,” said God. “You
now have a taste of what it is like
being God. People are always
praying for something from Me,
which is all right because at least
they are thinking of Me. But few
ever thank Me.”
This story illustrates our
human condition. In life, many
people request others to do
something for them, but how
many people take an equal
amount of time to thank them.
Similarly, we pray to God for so
many things that we want, but
how many take the time to thank
God?
The post office receives many
By Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj
Thanksgiving in the right spirit
of the festival. Let us be among
those who can thank God for the
many gifts we have received‑for
our human birth, for our health,
for our food, clothing and shel‑
ter, and for our families. Let us
also thank God for our education
and for our jobs. However, let us
not thank God merely with words
but with our deeds. We can thank
God by leading ethical lives of
nonviolence, truthfulness, purity,
humility and selfless service. The
deed most appreciated by God is
meditating daily so that we can
connect with the inner Light and
Sound which is the means by
which we can return to our True
Home in the shortest possible
time.
Moses was given the Ten Commandments,

Making our why donʼt you just stay home here in Boston

parents, siblings, relatives, and
friends.
The angel filled the basket with
prayers that people had for
worldly objects such as a bigger
house, newer car, latest comput‑
er , jewelry, expensive clothing,
and for their children new toys.
Some people prayed to God for a
husband or wife, for children or
better relationships. There were
so many prayers asking for
things that the angel had to
obtain a van while on earth to
carry them all around!
In the meantime the other
angel traveled far and wide look‑
ing to fill the basket with prayers
of thankfulness. One day passed,
two days passed, three days
passed, but no prayers of grati‑
tude were heard, the angel visit‑
ed young people and elderly peo‑
ple, men and women, people of
all countries, all religions and all
economic levels. Still not a
prayer of thankfulness was
heard. All that this angel heard
were the prayers asking for
things. Wondering whether it
was missing something, the angel
got on the angel hot‑line to con‑
tact the other angel and asked
whether its basket of prayers
was being filled.
“Oh, Yes, I have not only filled
one basket, but have filled many
more,” said the angel. “But in all
A
man was once asked by a saint if he
would like to find God. First the man
said that he wanted to wait until he
got married and settled down. The saint re‑
turned after the man married and settled
down, and again asked if he wanted to find
God. The man said, "When I am rich and suc‑
cessful at my job I will look for God." The
saint returned when the man had made a lot
of money and was successful at his career. He
again asked the man if he wanted to find God
yet. Now the man wanted to wait to find God
until after he had married off his children.
When the children were settled, the saint
returned. Then the man wanted to wait to
find God until after he had grand¬children. Fi‑
nally, on his deathbed he told the saint he
was ready to find God.
But by then his whole life had passed and
there was no time left. Let us not be like that
man. Let us make a choice while still young
and vital and in our full senses. Let us not
wait until it is too late.
We have been allotted a number of breaths
in this lifetime. We can either waste them
away or make full use of them to complete
our course in spirituality. That is why the
Masters exhort us to make the best use of
this current lifetime.
A spiritual Master undertakes the responsi‑
bility of making sure our soul will be reunited
with the Divine. This responsibility is as that
of a teacher making sure the student is ready
for the highest degree for graduation. It is his
job to make sure we are prepared and devel‑
oped spiritually. If we are not ready, he still
has to guide us until we are ready. Thus, even
while under the care of a Master, he has to
choice now
make sure we complete our course in spiritu‑
ality. When someone is seeking, they often
are fired up with intensity to find the right
spiritual Master, or the spiritual teaching that
can help solve the mystery of life and death.
Yet, after someone finds and joins a spiritual
path, some become complacent. They may
feel that their quest has ended, but, in reality,
their work has just begun.It is like applying
for a school, college, or university. We in‑
tensely fill out applications and submit ad‑
mission papers, and are thrilled when
we receive our acceptance letter. Yet, their
work is not ended̶it has just begun. They
must work hard to complete their degree pro‑
gram to graduate. It is the same on a spiritual
path. Just finding the right Master who can
teach us a meditation practice that provides
proven results is the beginning; we have to
then start putting in the effort and commit‑
ment to master the meditation techniques to
reach the goal of realization of the Divine.
Once the great writer Mark Twain was hav‑
ing a discussion with a businessman who was
known for being aggressive and ruthless in
his dealings with others.
The businessman said to the writer, "Before
I die I would like to make a pilgrimage to the
Holy Land and climb to the top of Mount
Sinai to read the Ten Commandments aloud
at the top."
Mark Twain quickly replied, "I have a better
idea. Rather than go to Mount Sinai where
and practice the Ten Commandments in your
life!" This humorous comment carries a sig‑
nificant meaning. Many of us read the Com‑
mandments or advice given by the great
saints in the scriptures. Many of us are happy
even to preach what our holy books say. But
how many of us live up to the teachings we
follow?
There is a big difference between knowing
the theory and practicing it. It is not enough
to read the books or scriptures and know the
theory. We need to live up to them in our own
lives. If we learn a method of meditation and
instructions for progress, that is not enough;
the true heart of the spiritual teachings is in
the practice. It is not enough to know what
others have said about it. It is essential that
we have our own firsthand experience of spir‑
ituality. That can be accomplished when we
sit in meditation.
Progress is a matter of accuracy. We can
become accurate only by practice. Practice
makes perfect. If we expect to sit in medita‑
tion once or twice in our life and accomplish
spiritual progress, we are being unrealistic.
We need to practice daily.
It is said that if we take one step toward
God, God will take a hundred steps toward us.
The time we spend in meditation will be rich‑
ly rewarded.
Instead of merely reading the Ten Com‑
mandments, live them. If we do our medita‑
tions and lead ethical lives, observing the
virtues of nonviolence, truthfulness, purity,
humility, selfless service, and love for all, we
will be blessed with inner vision. We will have
the proof for ourselves of the existence of our
soul and God.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info Jan 27-Feb 2, 2018
TheSouthAsianTimes.info Jan 27-Feb 2, 2018